U.P.P.C.S. Special Mains 2004

Monetary Innovations

Authentic Past Paper Standard Evaluation

For the first time the token currency was introduced in India by:

Solution & Analysis

Answer: D

Concept In a revolutionary monetary move, MBT attempted to replace intrinsic-value coins (gold/silver) with representative-value coins (brass/copper) to boost the circulation of money.

Explanation In 1330 CE, MBT issued copper tokens that were decreed to have the same exchange value as silver Tankas. This was the first such experiment in the Indian subcontinent.

Logical Breakup
Logic 1: The Sultan sought to conserve gold/silver for high-level trade while using common metals for internal currency.
Logic 2: The project was a precursor to modern fiduciary currency, but it collapsed because of the state's inability to prevent private minting of counterfeit tokens.

Active Recall

Question

What happened when the token currency experiment was called off?

Answer

The Sultan honorably redeemed the worthless copper tokens for actual gold and silver coins from the treasury, causing a massive financial loss to the state.

Core Insight

MBT was a monarch 'ahead of his time'; his token currency failed only because the administrative checks for such a system did not yet exist.