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One Fanam
| Issuer | Thanjavur-Maratha, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1674-1799 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Stylized design in the South Indian fanam tradition, struck on a small irregular flan typical of hammered gold coinage. The central field displays a bold pellet-in-annulet device surmounted by a raised crescent or arc, flanked by additional pellets at the corners. A prominent vertical bar bisects the design, with curved arc elements in the lower portion of the field, all rendered in a highly schematic, abstract idiom characteristic of Maratha feudatory coinage of the Thanjavur region. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents an abstract geometric device on an irregular hammered flan, consisting of a bold diagonal stroke or bar dominating the field, accompanied by a triangular element in the lower portion and scattered pellets along the margins. The design is typical of the highly stylized, non-figurative reverse types found on Thanjavur-Maratha gold fanams, struck with considerable variation due to the hand-hammered production technique. |
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| Additional information |
The Thanjavur Maratha kingdom was established after Venkoji — half-brother of Shivaji — seized the region in 1674, and the dynasty maintained a precarious independence under successive Maratha rulers until British paramountcy effectively ended autonomous coinage by the close of the eighteenth century. Fanams of this type circulated alongside a bewildering array of competing local gold issues across the Carnatic, making attribution notoriously difficult even for specialists.
The low gold weight reflects the long-standing South Indian fanam tradition rather than any debasement specific to this issuer.