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1 Fanam Peshwas
| Issuer | Peshwas of the Maratha Confederacy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820-1830 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Fanam |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field depicts a stylized symbolic device consisting of a horizontal bar with pendant elements, interpreted as a conventionalized representation of a deity or royal emblem in the South Indian fanam tradition. Above the central motif, a arc of raised pellets forms a decorative border element. The overall design is rendered in a highly schematic, archaic style characteristic of hammered Maratha gold fanams, with the devices occupying most of the flat, irregular flan. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays a stylized crescent or horseshoe-shaped symbol in the upper field, accompanied by a bold pellet or globular element at its center, evoking a schematic floral or celestial motif. Below, a series of raised pellets arranged in a curved row occupies the lower register, with additional wavy linear devices filling the field. The design is typical of the highly abstract symbolic vocabulary used on Peshwa-period gold fanams, struck on a small, thick, irregularly shaped flan consistent with hammered coinage of the period. |
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| Additional information |
The Peshwas' authority had effectively collapsed by 1818 with Baji Rao II's defeat at the Third Anglo-Maratha War and his subsequent exile to Bithur — making any gold fanam struck under the Peshwa name after that date a curiosity of transitional or residual minting, possibly issued by local authority rather than any functioning central administration. At 0.4 g, these tiny gold pieces required extraordinary precision from the die-cutters, and variation in flan preparation is common across surviving examples.