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1 Paisa - Islam Shah Suri
| Issuer | Sur Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1552-1553 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Paisa |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Irregular hammered copper flan bearing a bold Arabic legend arranged in multiple lines within the field, executed in a robust, deeply struck calligraphic style typical of Sur Empire coinage. The inscription fills the entire die face with large, angular Naskh-style characters, with additional marginal legends partially visible along the rim. Surface shows characteristic patination with traces of green cuprite overlying the copper substrate. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Hammered field bearing the royal name and title of Islam Shah Suri rendered in bold Arabic Naskh script, arranged in multiple horizontal registers filling the entire flan. The legend identifying the ruler Islām Shāh is prominently displayed in large angular characters, consistent with mid-sixteenth century Sur dynasty epigraphic convention. The irregular flan edges and characteristic double-strike displacement are typical of the hand-struck coinage of this period. |
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| Additional information |
Islam Shah Suri spent much of his reign dismantling the administrative reforms his father Sher Shah had built, purging Afghan nobles wholesale and executing thousands of his own officers on suspicion of disloyalty. He died in 1553, and the Sur dynasty fractured almost immediately — four rulers claimed the throne within the following three years. Copper paisa issues from his reign survive in quantity, suggesting active low-denomination commerce continued despite the political instability at the top.