Catalog
1/4 Dollar - Penang
| Issuer | British East India Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 26 mm |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 4 VEIC 1788 |
| Reverse description | The reverse bears a bold Nastaliq Arabic inscription filling the entire field, reading 'Jazira Prins Abuwalis' (Island of Prince of Wales), the official Malay designation for Penang as granted by the British East India Company. The calligraphic text is arranged in three sweeping lines across the coin's surface, executed in a fluid, cursive Nastaliq script style typical of Mughal-influenced coinage of the period. The lettering is deeply struck and dominates the plain field without any border legend or additional decorative elements. |
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| Additional information |
The Penang coinage of 1788 was among the first currency officially struck for a British settlement in Southeast Asia — Prince of Wales Island (modern Penang) having been ceded by the Sultan of Kedah to Francis Light just the year before. The East India Company authorized a local coinage almost immediately, an unusual move that reflected the settlement's intended role as a free port rather than a purely extractive trading post.
KM#6.2 is distinguished from the related 6.1 variety by its die characteristics. Light himself was reportedly the driving administrative force behind getting coin into circulation quickly, as barter and a chaotic mix of foreign specie had dominated the port from its founding.