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1 Pagoda - Christian VII
| Issuer | Danish East India Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1789 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pagoda = 42 Royalins |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylized standing deity — consistent with the conventional South Indian pagoda iconographic tradition — is depicted facing forward in the central field, rendered in low relief with schematic detail. The figure appears multi-armed, adorned with ornamental attributes, and is flanked symmetrically on either side by clusters of pellets and scroll-like decorative elements suggestive of floral or vegetal motifs. The overall style reflects the fusion of local South Indian artistic conventions with the requirements of the Danish colonial monetary authority at Tranquebar. No inscriptions or legends appear on this side. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The Danish East India Company's Tranquebar settlement on the Coromandel Coast issued pagodas to compete directly with the currency already trusted by local merchants — the South Indian pagoda had centuries of commercial credibility that no European-minted coin could simply displace. Striking in the familiar weight and fineness was the only practical option.
Christian VII, in whose name this was struck, was by 1789 almost entirely removed from governance due to severe mental illness. Actual authority had long since passed to a regency council following the Struensee affair of the early 1770s.