More about copper coins struck in 1893–1899 with the name of Faisal bin Turki, Imam of Muscat and Oman
Настич Владимир Нилович, Шустер Вольфганг, Наута ДикЭпиграфика Востока '2024, №Вып.38 (№1-2), с.131-147
DOI: 10.31696/0131-1344-2024-1-2-131-147
The end of the 19th century was marked by a significant increase in maritime trade
between the major ports of the northwestern Indian Ocean ― Zanzibar, Mombasa, Mogadishu, Aden,
Muscat, Karachi, Bombay, etc. Along with the silver rupees of British India and the Austrian thalers of
Maria Theresa, which played the role of national currencies in Arabia and East Africa, the function of
small change money in the countries of the region was performed by Indian copper coins ― Annas,
Paisas and their fractions, sometimes supplemented by local emissions of small change similar by size and metal composition to Indian Paisas. One of such local issuers was Sultan of Muscat and Oman Faisal bin Turki (1888–1913 CE), who ordered to release the ¼ Anna coins in his name with dates from 1311 to 1316 AH (resp.1893–1899 CE), which were circulated in Oman and other countries of the region until the 40s of the XX century. The article devoted to the history of the appearance and geography of circulation of this "trade coin of the Indian Ocean" provides detailed descriptions with complete images of all varieties of coin legends and design elements detected by the moment, supplemented by well-known countermarks with the initials of two subsequent sultans of Muscat and Oman and also overstrikes into the "current coin" of Afghanistan with Qandahar 1322 dies (1904–05 CE). Considerations are presented regarding the location of the mint in the government area of Muscat, as well as the possible delivery of copper flans for the minting of Omani coins from India. Special attention is paid to documentary evidence of the large-scale minting of these coins dated with 1315 AH at the mint of Ralph Heaton & Sons (Birmingham, UK), which provided the bulk of coins of this type for the small change money circulation of the region at that time.