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1 Mohur - Shah Alam II
| Issuer | Bengal Presidency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 12.36 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | The reverse is likewise entirely epigraphic, presenting three horizontal registers of Nasta'liq Persian script separated by raised ruled lines, with floral and dot ornaments in the field. The upper register records the regnal year 'Sanah 19 Julus Maimanat Manus' (year 19 of the auspicious accession), while the lower register bears the mint name 'Zarb Murshidabad' (struck at Murshidabad). Small six-pointed floral rosettes and dot clusters fill the interstices, adding decorative articulation to the composition. The milled edge is clearly visible at the coin's periphery. The design adheres strictly to the Mughal epigraphic tradition as adapted for Bengal Presidency coinage. |
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| Mintage | 1202 (1788) - Calcutta - 1202 (1788) - Dacca - 1202 (1788) - Murshidabad - 1202 (1788) - Patna - |
| Additional information |
Shah Alam II was, by 1788, a ruler in name only — blinded by the Rohilla chief Ghulam Qadir in 1788 and effectively a pensioner of the East India Company following the Battle of Buxar in 1764. Bengal Presidency continued striking mohurs in his name for decades after any Mughal authority over Bengal had ceased to exist, a legal fiction maintained to satisfy local merchants who distrusted coinage not issued under recognized imperial sanction.
The Sikh mint at Murshidabad produced these under Company supervision. Frozen regnal year dating on Bengal Presidency mohurs means the "1788" designation reflects a fixed fictive date, not actual production year.