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1 Fanon - Louis XV Pondicherry mint
| Issuer | Compagnie française des Indes orientales (French East India Company) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1738-1792 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Hammered |
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| Reverse description | The reverse displays a Persian legend in Nasta'liq script reading 'franch kompani' (French Company), a phonetic rendering of 'Compagnie française,' identifying the issuing authority. The bold, raised Arabic-script inscription fills the field of the irregular hammered flan, with no additional decorative elements. The style is consistent with Mughal-influenced coinage produced for circulation in French India during the eighteenth century. |
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| Mintage | 1738 P 1743 P 1744 P 1749 P 1750 P 1751 P 1752 P 1753 P 1754 P 1755 P 1766 P 1767 P 1768 P 1771 P 1774 P 1775 P 1776 P 1777 P 1778 P 1782 P - reported, not confirmed 1788 P 1792 P |
| Additional information |
The French East India Company's Pondicherry mint operated under persistent pressure from both the local silver market and the Company's chronically unstable finances. The fanon denomination itself was borrowed directly from the Tamil monetary system — the term derives from "panam," a widely used south Indian unit — and the Company adopted it as a practical concession to local commerce rather than any effort to impose a French monetary framework. The date range on this type spans the Company's 1769 dissolution and reconstitution under royal control, meaning later strikes were technically issued by the Crown, not the original trading entity.