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1 Rupee - Ahmad Shah Bahadur
| Issuer | Madras Presidency |
|---|---|
| Year | 1748-1754 |
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| Currency | Rupee (1691-1835) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Struck in the Mughal style, the obverse features a bold multi-line Persian legend filling the field, divided by a horizontal line into two registers. The upper register bears the principal royal titulature in raised Naskh script, and the lower register contains additional elements of the imperial legend, all accompanied by pellet ornaments distributed across the field. The inscriptions proclaim the coin as the auspicious issue of the Victorious Emperor Ahmad Shah Bahadur. The flan is irregular in shape, typical of hand-struck rupees of this period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse lettering | ضرب ارکاٹ سنه (RY) جلوس ميمنت مانوس ٧ (Translation: Struck at Arkat in the 7th year of tranquil prosperity) |
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| Additional information |
Ahmad Shah Bahadur, the Mughal emperor whose name this coin bears, was a largely powerless figurehead by the time these rupees were struck at Madras — the Maratha Confederacy and regional nawabs had effectively fragmented Mughal authority across the subcontinent. The Madras Presidency continued issuing coinage in his name as a matter of commercial convention, since Mughal-style rupees remained the trusted trade currency across southern Indian markets regardless of who actually held power.
The years of this issue overlap directly with the Second Carnatic War, during which Madras itself faced French military pressure under Dupleix.