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1/2 Pice - Shah Alam II
| Issuer | Bengal Presidency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1796 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Pice (1⁄128) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The obverse bears a bold four-line Persian inscription in Nastaliq script arranged within a plain field, reading 'Shah Alam Badshah' (Emperor Shah Alam) in the upper two lines and 'Julus Sana 37' (regnal year 37) in the lower two lines, denoting the 37th year of Shah Alam II's reign. The legends are incuse in high relief against a flat copper field, with no border ornamentation. The script is executed in a vigorous, calligraphic style characteristic of late Mughal coinage adapted for Bengal Presidency machine-struck issues. Small decorative dots or quatrefoil ornaments separate certain elements of the inscription. The overall design reflects the Mughal imperial tradition retained by the East India Company for its Bengal copper coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays the denomination inscription 'Adh Pai Sikka' (Half Pice coin) rendered in three scripts arranged across the field: Arabic in the uppermost line, Bengali in the middle, and Devanagari in the lower portion, reflecting the multilingual administrative character of the Bengal Presidency. The legends fill the entire coin surface in bold, deeply struck characters with no border or central device. This tripartite script arrangement is a distinctive feature of Bengal Presidency copper coinage of the late 18th century, intended to serve the diverse literate populations of the region. The field shows the characteristic uneven texture of early Calcutta Mint machine-struck copper. No mintmark or additional device is present. |
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| Additional information |
Shah Alam II was Mughal emperor in little more than name by 1796 — blind, politically neutered, and living under Maratha protection in Delhi while the East India Company administered Bengal as a de facto sovereign power. The Bengal Presidency continued issuing coins in his name well past any practical acknowledgment of Mughal authority, a deliberate fiction maintained to ease local commercial acceptance. This issue was among the last gasps of that convention before the Company moved toward openly British-identified coinage in the following decades.