Islamic Persia (Post mongol), Safavids. Abu'l-Muzaffar Isma'il I. AD 1501-1524. AR Larin. Shiraz mint. Also known as hairpin money due to its design, these Larins acted as international trading currencies between Persia and the Indian Ocean from the 16-18 centuries. Instead of the usual blank piece of planchet metal, Larins were made from strips of silver shaped into the form of wires. These wires are then stamped with Persian inscriptions. Such were the popularity of these Larins that the design spread to various other countries such as Ceylon, Southern Indian, Arabia and the Maldives. Larins derived their name from the town of Lar, a Persian town which according to legend was where the first minted.
Very rare in any form but exceptional from Persia- very desirable. Many memorex versions of this. Wonderful acquisition.
Seems like an impractical shape for money. What is the reason for the unusual shape, was it functional somehow?
Thanks all. I have not come across any materials that support specifically the reason for their shape. My take is that it was possibly easier for merchants to pull and cut off strips of silver at the appropriate weight from a coil before stamped as a form of legal trade tender. Or perhaps it was even carried intentionally as clip-on. In fact when circulated to Ceylon, they were also bent into the shape of fish hooks for easy carrying as well.
These curve came about by the Ceylonese because they found it easier to hook it around their attire. The Persian and Arabian equivalents did not have that
