Bengal Presidency Silver 1 Rupee INO Shah Alam II Murshidabad Mint Coin

Bengal Presidency, In the name of Shah Alam II (1759–1806 CE), Denomination: 1 Rupee, Composition: Silver, Weight: 11.50 grams, Diameter: 26.7 mm, Shape: Round, Mint: Murshidabad, Ry 19, Date Range: 1793–1818 CE, Reference: KM #99 (previously KM #774.2), About Very Fine, Collectable Bengal Coinage.

Obverse: Persian inscription reads “Sikka Zad Bar Haft Kishwar Sayaye Fazl Shah Alam Badshah Elah Hami Din Mohammad,” referring to Shah Alam II and proclaiming the coin’s circulation throughout the seven climes.

Reverse: Persian inscription reads “Zarb Murshidabad Sanat 19 Julus Maimanat Manus,” naming Murshidabad and recording the 19th regnal year in the traditional formula, despite production at different mints.

Shah Alam II was the Mughal emperor from 1759 to 1806, during a period when the East India Company steadily expanded its political and financial authority in Bengal and northern India. After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, the emperor granted the Company the Diwani rights over Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa in 1765, giving it responsibility for revenue collection. Although Shah Alam II retained imperial titles and authority in name, his political influence changed considerably during his reign. Mughal-style coinage continued to carry his name and traditional Persian legends, even as regional powers and the Company increasingly controlled minting and administration.

Coinage Note: This silver rupee represents the continuation of Mughal monetary traditions under the Bengal Presidency during the expanding influence of the East India Company. Issued in Shah Alam II’s name, it retains traditional Persian inscriptions and imperial regnal dating. The Murshidabad Mint issue reflects the transition from Mughal authority to Company-controlled administration in late eighteenth-century Bengal.