Bengal Presidency – in the Name of Shah Alam II – Trisul Mint Mark 1 Pice Copper Coin

1 Pice – In The Name Of Shah Alam II, Bengal Presidency (British India), Minted between 1820-1824 AD, Denomination: 1 Pai (1 Pice), Composition: Copper, Weight  6.10 grm, Diameter: 22.65 mm, Reference: KM# 65, about very fine, very scarce.

Obverse: Legend in Persian with image of a trident or trisul

Reverse: ‘Ek pai sikka’

Between 1820 to 1824 AD, the Bengal Presidency was one of the most powerful administrative divisions under the British East India Company, governing large parts of eastern India including Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. This period marked the consolidation of British control after the decline of Mughal authority. Although the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II had lost real power, his name continued on coinage for legitimacy. The 1 Pice copper coin, bearing Persian inscriptions and symbols like the trident (trisula), reflects this transitional era—when coins were still issued in the emperor’s name but minted under British supervision, bridging Mughal tradition and colonial rule.