Indian Antiquary Vol 57

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 59

MARCI, 1928)
CURRENCY AND COINACE AMONG THE BURMESE
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1144. Lord of the Golden Palace, Lord of the Great Peace (Mahasamadhiraja).
B.E. 1144=A.D. 1782. This was the last native King of Arakan, for two years later, B.E. 1046 (=A.D. 1784), the country passed into the hands of Mintaraji or Bôdòp'aya, who at once issued a coin - No. 18 obv. and rev. inscribed :
1146. Amarapura S'inb'yúmya: shin Hnain-ngàn.
1146. Country conquered by the Lord of the Many White Elephants of Amarapura. Capt. White's collection also contained a small coin of the size of a four-anna piece, on which the Burmese inscription was incomplete, the reverse having a Persian and Nagari Inscription." He also had 6 other silver coins of the Burmese mintage" from Re. I to one anna."
As will have been already seen, Bodòp'aya issued other copper coins than those above described, with obv. two fish and rev. inscribed as separately shown. These were struck in 1781, the year of his accession, and must therefore have had no connection with Arakan, but must have been struck in Ararapûra before ho conquered the Southern land. See Plate !I.
D-II. Coins of Mindon Min. King Mindôn (1852-1878) introduced a coinage about 1861, though he antedated many coins to 1852, the year of his accession. That he had no coinage in 1855 is proved by Yule's remark to that effect in his Ava, p. 258.41
Gold Coins. There were five gold values. 19 The two highest are now exceedingly rare, if not, in actual fact, known only by a single specimen of each.
(1) Shwe-kyatsí, gold rupee (more strictly, tickal) piece. It corresponds to the mohar of India.43 I only know this from a specimen in Col. Prideaux's collection, of which the following is a description. Size : same as fig. 34, Plate II. Obverse: a chinde, 44 round which are the words, chintę. Reverse : a wreath, round which are the words Yedandbôn Nebyído (Ratana puņņa=Mandalay, the Royal Residence), and inside the wreath 1 kyat hông ; dinga (coin for use as one rupee or tickal).
In addition to this coin, there were occasionally struck at the Mint gold "rupees" of the peacock type by way of medals and presents. Any friend of the officials could take a piece of gold to the Mint and get it struck with the silver dies, taking it away with him as a curiosity or keepsake. At one time there were a good many of these gold "rupecs" about, and they may still be procurable in Mandalay. They were never, however, coin of the realm, although they would be truo mohars, and would have the same description of value endorsed on the reverse, as on the coin just described, riz: kyat tông : dinga (see Plate II, fig. 34).
(2) Shwe-ngamuzi, or gold five-mit-piece, that is, half a gold rupee, as 10 mû (gold)= Rupee 1 (see fig. 24, Plate II). It corresponds to the half mohar of India, and I may note that to the Burman the English sovereign, the French louis or napoleon, and similar coins were, when I made these notes in 1890 or thereabouts, all shwê-ngâmûzis. It is extremely rare. My specimen is the only one I ever saw, but others I believe existed then. King Mindôn intended to throw them into circulation largely, and had the dies cut and a certain number struck off; but he died shortly afterwards, and King Thibaw did nothing in the matter. Such was my information ; but it should be noted that tô: on this coin is the sign of Thibaw and not of Mindôn; Thibaw having been born on a Tuesday, of which day the tô : is the ruling spirit.
41 We learn incidentally from Bowring (Siam, vol. II, p. 33), who gives a long extract from Three Months in Cambodia (Mission Press, Singapore), that the modern coinage of Cambodia was introduced in 1854 from machines sent by a British firm at Singapore.
49 There was no gold currency apparently in Siam in 1900, gold coins being merely struck to be used as commemorative medals. JASB. Proc., 1887, p. 149 : Bowring, Siam, vol. I, p. 257.
43 Every Burman I quostioned on the subject denied the existence of any such issue.
44 The chint is to a Burman a lion. It was the symbol of Mindôn, because he was born on a Saturday. See Shway Yoe, (Scott), The Burman, p. 12.