One Pie British East India Company Bengal Presidency 1831–1835

British East India Company, Bengal Presidency, 1831–1835 CE, Denomination: One Pie, Composition: Copper, Weight: 2.18 grams, Diameter: 16.5 mm, Reference: KM# 58, about very fine, very scarce.

Obverse: Denomination shown in English and Bengali. “ONE PIE/এক পাই”

Reverse: Denomination shown in Persian (Urdu) and Devanagari. “١ یک پاي/ऎक पाई”

This One Pie coin was issued during 1831–1835 CE, a period when the Bengal Presidency was firmly under the administrative control of the British East India Company. At that time, the Governor-General of India (often loosely called Viceroy) was Lord William Bentinck. The nominal Nawab of Bengal held only ceremonial status, while real power rested with the Company; the actual sovereign authority behind it was William IV. Bengal was governed directly by Company officials from Calcutta. The One Pie, valued at 1/192 of a Rupee, played a crucial role in everyday commerce, enabling small purchases in bazaars and rural markets. Its multilingual inscriptions reflect Bengal’s diverse population and the Company’s need for practical, widely understood currency.