Summary

1/2 Rupee, Issued by Bengal, India, 1820-1831
Lucknow sikka of the 45th san
Minted by Calcutta (the Farrukhabad Mint name does not mean that the coin was struck there)

Obverse Description

Persian legend (legend translation: Defender of the religion of Muhammad. Shah Alam, Emperor. Shadow of the divine favour, put his stamp on the seven climes)

Reverse Description

Persian legend (legend translation: Struck at Farrukhabad in the 45th year of his reign of tranquil prosperity)

Edge Description

Milled (vertical)

Significance

In 1801 the East India Company obtained control of territory once under the Nawab of Oudh and the Nawab of Farrukhabad. To provide coinage for their new territories it was decided to strike a rupee (and fractions) of the same size and silver fineness as the perpetual 19 san sicca being struck at Calcutta for Bengal. The new coin would be known as the Lucknow sicca rupee of the 45th san, a mint was established at Furrukhabad to strike them with the mint name Farrukhabad in the line below the Regnal year. Like the 19 san sikka the date on the 45 san sicca was frozen. In 1817 the right to strike this coin was extended to the Calcutta and Banaras mints. This coin was struck at Calcutta as it bears a small inverted v mint mark on the obverse partly off the rim just below 4 o'clock - the mint name on the reverse is the standard form for this coin, Farrukhabad. It belongs to the second Calcutta form, with verticle edge milling. Calcutta continued to strike the 45 san coinage until 1834 with variations of the edge form in parallel to the 19 san coinage.

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