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1 Mohur - Shah Alam II
| Issuer | British East India Company (Bengal Presidency) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1788 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#114 |
| Obverse description | The obverse presents three horizontal bands of bold Nasta'liq calligraphy filling the entire field, separated by incised ruled lines. The uppermost band bears the opening couplet of the royal coin legend invoking divine sanction; the central band carries the royal titles and the name of the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II; and the lower band records the Hijri regnal year 1202 and accession year 19. Decorative dot rosettes are scattered throughout the field as ornamental fillers, a hallmark of Bengal Presidency Mughal-style coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | سكه زد بر هفت کشور سایه فضل اله حامی دین محمد شاه عالم بادشاه سنه ۱۲۰۲ جلوس ۱۹ |
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| Additional information |
Shah Alam II was, by 1788, a Mughal emperor in name only — blinded by the Afghan warlord Ghulam Qadir in 1788, confined to Delhi, and wholly dependent on Maratha protection. The East India Company continued striking mohurs in his name not out of deference but commercial necessity: bazaar acceptance of coinage in northern India required the fiction of Mughal authority. British-issued gold bearing a blind emperor's regnal year circulated freely precisely because the Company understood that monetary legitimacy flowed from familiar symbols, not actual power.