Item number: A1382

Year: AD 1759 (AH 1172)

Material: Sliver

Size: 24.8 x 24.8 mm

Manufactured by: Calcutta Mint

Provenance: Fuchin coin 2024

This is a Mughal-style silver rupee minted by the British East India Companys in Calcutta, primarily circulating within the Madras Presidency under British control in India. The coin is circular in shape, with a regular milled edge, and both the obverse and reverse feature intricate Persian calligraphy, complemented by decorative motifs and small floral patterns. The inscriptions on the coin are in Persian, with the obverse featuring the Royal Mint mark (ضرب ارگانات) and the minting location, Calcutta (کالکته), visible in the inscription “ضرب کلکتہ” (struck at Calcutta), along with the Islamic year 1172 (١١٧٢). The reverse bears the names of Muhammad Shah Alam II (محمد شاه عالم), the Conqueror King (باد شاه غازي), and the regnal year (سنة فاضل).

Although the coin’s design suggests it was minted under the Mughal Empire, it was actually produced by the British East India Company, which had established multiple trading posts along the Indian coast. The Company, granted a royal charter by the British government, set up mints in Madras, Bombay, and other locations to produce coins within the Mughal currency system. However, these coinage activities were conducted without authorization from the Mughal Empire or other Indian rulers.

The Madras Presidency, located along the southeastern coast of India, was part of British East India Company’s rule. The area is now known as Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. The British East India Company obtained control of this region through a land lease from smaller local rulers outside the Mughal Empire’s influence. Initially governed by the head of the British trading post, the Governor of the British Factory, Madras gradually evolved into a significant colonial power in its own right, eventually becoming an independent colonial entity under British rule.

This development was part of the broader imperial strategy of the British East India Company, which used diplomatic and military means to expand its control over coastal areas, setting up trade stations and fortifications. Madras, alongside other territories like Bombay and Calcutta, became key centers for British economic and political influence in India, eventually laying the groundwork for the full colonization of India.

The Mughal Empire, primarily agrarian and not dependent on maritime trade, largely overlooked the activities of European powers in the Indian Ocean. Over time, the East India Company gained control over this maritime trade, establishing dominance in the competitive commercial landscape of Europe’s trade in Asia. The British East India Company, empowered by extensive political privileges granted by the British Crown, secured colonial territories such as Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay through leases, foreign land gifts and military conquest. With control over military, administrative, tax, and judicial powers, the East India Company began its expansion in India.

物件編號: A1382

年代: 公元 1759年 (回曆 1172年)

材質: 銀

尺寸: 24.8 x 24.8 mm

製造地: 加爾各答鑄幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2024

這是一枚由英國東印度公司在加爾各答所鑄造的莫臥兒式1盧比銀幣，主要流通於英國在印度的馬德拉斯管轄區。銀幣形狀為圓形，有規則的齒狀邊緣，正面和反面均刻有精緻的波斯文書法，其中包括象徵性的裝飾圖案，間以小花形圖案點綴。銀幣上的文字為波斯語，正面刻寫皇家鑄幣廠 (ضرب ارگانات)與加爾各答（کالکته）鑄幣的標記，可見「ضرب کلکتہ」字樣（鑄於加爾各答），並標註回曆年份1172年「١١٧٢」。背面則寫著穆罕默德·沙·阿拉姆二世(محمد شاه عالم)、征服之王(باد شاه غازي)，及統治年份 (سنة فاضل)。

儘管銀幣從外觀來看是莫臥兒帝國所鑄造，但實際鑄造者則是在當時的印度沿岸建立多個貿易據點的英國東印度公司。當時英國東印度公司因為得到了英國政府的特許狀，便在馬德拉斯、孟買等地設立鑄造廠，鑄造印度莫臥兒帝國貨幣體系中的錢幣，而這些鑄幣行為並未得到莫臥兒帝國或其他印度王公的授權。

英國東印度公司治下的馬德拉斯省，位於印度東南沿海一帶，如今當地首府改名為清奈。英國東印度公司透過向莫臥兒帝國境外的小王公租借得到了這塊土地，由英國商館總監進行統治，並漸漸發展成一個獨立的殖民政權。

由於莫臥兒帝國是一個以農業為主的國家，並不依賴海上貿易，因此帝國長期忽視自海外而來的歐洲人在印度洋上的活動，因此印度洋的海上貿易最終被英國東印度公司所掌控，並且在與其他歐洲國家的商業競爭中取得絕對優勢。英國東印度公司靠著英國政府給予的大量政治特權，得以利用租借、接收外國贈送土地、武力征服等方式，得到了加爾各答、馬德拉斯、孟買作為殖民地。英國東印度公司在這些殖民地上擁有武力、握有行政、徵稅、司法等權力，由此開始了英國東印度公司在印度的擴張。