Catalog
1 Mu - Pagan Min Silver Pattern
| Issuer | Myanmar |
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| Year | 1853 |
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| Value | 1 Mu (0.1) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicting a peacock displayed in full plumage and facing left, emblematic of the Konbaung Dynasty and serving as the royal coat of arms of the last independent rulers of Burma. The peacock is rendered in fine relief against a plain field. A circular legend in Burmese script surrounds the central motif, enclosed within the coin's border. |
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| Reverse description | Denomination and date inscribed in Burmese script within a central field, enclosed by a wreath of two laurel branches tied at the base and rising symmetrically to either side. A circular Burmese legend occupies the outer field between the wreath and the reeded border, with individual Burmese numerals and characters interspersed around the periphery. The overall design is characteristic of Western minting conventions adapted to Burmese iconography for this pattern issue. |
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| Additional information |
Pagan Min's reign lasted barely four years before he was deposed by his half-brother Mindon in 1853 — the same year this pattern was produced. The timing is not incidental. British pressure following the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852 had stripped the Konbaung dynasty of Pegu and Martaban, and Mindon's coup was partly fueled by Pagan Min's catastrophic handling of that conflict. Whether this piece reflects a Burmese-initiated modernization effort or a British-influenced proposal for a decimalized coinage system remains debated among specialists.
KM#Pn12 is among a small group of pattern issues from this transitional moment, none of which entered circulation.