Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Anna - Shah Jahan Begam
| Issuer | Bhopal, Princely state of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1885-1890 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Anna (1⁄16) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | The obverse field is entirely occupied by a bold, multi-line Persian inscription in Nasta'liq calligraphic script, reading 'Shah Jahan Begam', the name and title of the ruling Begam of Bhopal. The legends are arranged in flowing, interlocking lines that fill the flan, with small decorative dot or lozenge ornaments interspersed between the words. The script is deeply incuse against a plain field, characteristic of the hand-engraved die style of the Bhopal Mint. The coin exhibits an irregular, slightly flan-spread edge typical of hammered or early milled provincial coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a large, prominent Persian Nasta'liq inscription reading 'Yak Anna' (One Anna), denoting the denomination, set in bold relief at the centre of the field. Flanking the central legend are a crescent moon and star motifs, symbolic devices associated with the Bhopal state and Islamic tradition. A circular Persian legend, likely containing the mint name or regnal formula, runs around the periphery, separated from the central device by a plain inner border. The overall design is characteristic of the late 19th-century coinage of the Bhopal princely state, combining calligraphic artistry with dynastic and Islamic iconography. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Shah Jahan Begam ruled Bhopal from 1868 to 1901 — one of four successive women to govern the state, a dynastic anomaly unmatched anywhere else in princely India. Her coinage reflects the administrative confidence of her later reign, by which point she had already negotiated directly with the Viceroy, published her own autobiography, and constructed some of Bhopal's most significant civic infrastructure. The British found her inconveniently capable and largely left her to govern as she saw fit.
KM#18 is the heavier of the two Anna types attributed to her reign, distinguishable by weight from the lighter KM#17 issue.