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1 Mohur - Shah Alam II
| Issuer | Bombay Presidency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1801 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
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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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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Broad hammered flan bearing multi-line Naskh Arabic calligraphy filling the entire field, recording the mint name and regnal year in the standard Mughal format. The inscription is arranged in sweeping diagonal lines characteristic of Surat Mint issues, with ornamental pellet clusters visible in the upper field serving as decorative mint marks. A horizontal dividing line bisects the design, separating the upper legend from the lower, which records the mint city of Surat and the 46th regnal year of Shah Alam II's reign. The deeply engraved lettering exhibits the bold, flowing style typical of late Mughal provincial gold coinage struck at the Surat Mint under East India Company administration. |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
The Bombay Presidency mohurs issued under Shah Alam II's name are a study in political theatre. By 1801, Shah Alam II was effectively a prisoner of whatever power happened to control Delhi — at that moment, the Marathas — and his name on coinage issued from British-administered Bombay was pure legal fiction, a formality the East India Company maintained to avoid alarming Indian merchants who trusted Mughal-denominated gold.
KM#214 is notable for being among the last issues where the Company felt compelled to preserve the Mughal fiction at all. Within a decade, that pretense largely collapsed.