Catalog
4 Keping Thick flan
| Issuer | British East India Company |
|---|---|
| Year | 1804 |
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| Currency | Dollar (1783-1824) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a plain field bearing Jawi script in bold, flowing naskh calligraphy occupying the central area of the flan. The Arabic numeral ٤ (four) appears at the top, followed by the denomination امڤت کڤڠ (Ampat Keping, meaning 'Four Kepings') in two lines. The Hijri year ١٢١٩ (1219 AH) is inscribed in large Eastern Arabic numerals at the foot of the design. The entire design is contained within a beaded border, with the field left unadorned to give prominence to the inscription. |
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| Additional information |
The 4 Keping was struck at the Soho Mint in Birmingham under Matthew Boulton's steam-powered presses — the same facility responsible for reforming British domestic coinage. The East India Company contracted Boulton specifically because local Straits production had been plagued by counterfeiting, and the mechanical precision of Soho made imitation considerably harder.
The thick flan variety is distinguished from the thin flan striking of the same year by a noticeably greater planchet depth, a consequence of differing blank preparation runs rather than any deliberate denomination distinction.