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1/4 Rupee - Shah Alam II
| Issuer | Bombay Presidency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1800-1824 |
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| Diameter | 12.5 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Central field bearing Persian legends in Naskh script arranged in the traditional Mughal format, recording the mint name of Surat and the regnal year 46 of Shah Alam II's reign. The inscription reads 'Zarb Surat Sanat 46 Julus Maimanat Manus' (Struck at Surat in the 46th year of his tranquil and prosperous reign). As is characteristic of this issue, much of the legend falls off-flan due to the restricted flan size. Small lozenge-shaped ornamental devices flank the inscription in the field. |
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| Additional information |
Shah Alam II was nominally emperor of the Mughal dynasty throughout this period, but by 1800 he was effectively a pensioner of the British East India Company following his blinding and humiliation at the hands of Ghulam Qadir in 1788. The Bombay Presidency continued issuing coinage in his name well past any practical Mughal authority — a calculated political convenience that lent the Company's revenues a veneer of Mughal legitimacy with local populations accustomed to Mughal monetary tradition.
Shah Alam II died in 1806, yet Bombay struck coins in his name for nearly two more decades.