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1 Fanam East India Company imitation
| Issuer | Dutch East India Company (VOC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1639-1785 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | 1 mm |
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| Obverse description | Highly stylized and schematically rendered frontal effigy of the goddess Kali in low relief, executed in the crude indigenous hammered tradition. The figure displays outstretched arms flanking the central body, with multiple pellets representing ornamental details across the torso. A characteristic Thanjavur rosette motif is prominently positioned at the breast of the figure. Flanking pellets or globular elements appear in the left and right fields, consistent with die varieties of this VOC imitative fanam series. The overall design is deliberately abstracted, retaining only the essential iconographic elements of the original South Indian prototype. |
|---|---|
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| Mintage | ND (1639-1785) - 17-18th century |
| Additional information |
The VOC minted these fanam imitations for use on the Malabar Coast, where indigenous fanam coinage dominated small-denomination trade. Rather than impose a foreign currency, the Dutch deliberately copied local types to ensure acceptance in bazaar transactions — a pragmatic concession to commercial reality that the more rigid Portuguese administration had largely refused to make. Production spanned nearly a century and a half across VOC facilities at Cochin.