Off-Metal Strikes and Transitional Coinage in the Bengal Presidency: The Case of a Copper “Half-Rupee” in the Name of Shah Alam II

Abstract

This paper examines a curious copper coin described as a “half-rupee” struck in the name of Shah Alam II (r. 1760-1806) under the jurisdiction of the Bengal Presidency of British India, which appears outside the standard catalogue specifications for the silver half-rupee series of the Presidency. By situating this specimen in the broader framework of Bengal Presidency minting, the Mughal-British political interface, and the transitional coinage systems of late-eighteenth and early-nineteenth century eastern India, this study argues that the piece is best viewed as an off-metal strike (OMS) or experimental issue reflecting fiscal pressures, metallurgical irregularities, and the evolving monetary regime of the region. After a review of Bengal Presidency coinage under the East India Company and Mughal suzerainty, the paper offers a typological and metallurgical discussion of the copper anomaly, considers possible causes (metal shortage, overstriking, experimental alloys), and assesses its significance for numismatic scholarship and monetary history. The conclusion calls for further metallurgical analysis and hoard studies to clarify the circulation status of such anomalies.