Catalog
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
| Issuer | Zanzibar |
|---|---|
| Year | 1886 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Pysa (1⁄136 ZZY) |
| 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 | Arabic |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | ١٣٠٤ (Translation: 1304) |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Barghash bin Said ruled Zanzibar at the height of its commercial power, when the sultanate controlled much of the East African coastal trade and Zanzibar Town functioned as the dominant entrepôt between the interior and the Indian Ocean world. This copper pysa was struck just two years before his death in 1888, after which British influence over the sultanate tightened rapidly — culminating in the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, the shortest declared war in recorded history at roughly 38 to 45 minutes.
Barghash had himself come to power through a contested succession in 1870, briefly imprisoned by the British before they ultimately backed his claim.