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Princely State of Travancore
Gold Fanam
特拉凡哥爾土邦
金法納姆
Item number: A353-1
Year: AD 1800-1899
Material: Gold
Size: 8.8 x 8.3 x 0.7 mm
Weight: 0.35 g
Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2024
This is a 19th-century gold “Fanam” coinminted by theTravancore princely state located in coastal South India. Fanam coins were prevalent in the South Indian region, and after the Age of Discovery, various European powers entering India also began minting their own Fanam coins locally.
The coin is extremely small, weighing only 0.35 grams. Both sides of the coin are adorned with geometric lines and dot patterns. The obverse features a V-shaped line, two curved lines with dots, and thirteen circular decorations. On the reverse, the lower left corner displays a grid of 4 x 3 neatly arranged dots, accompanied by an arch-shaped motif formed by four straight lines above.
Travancore was a Hindu kingdom established in AD 1729, primarily located along the trade-intensive Malabar Coast. Due to its strategic location, it faced invasions from the neighbouring Kingdom of Mysore. In the early 19th century, Travancore became a princely state under the British East India Company while maintaining a degree of political autonomy. After India declared independence from Britain in AD 1947, Travancore merged into the newly formed Travancore-Cochin state, which came under the direct administration of the central government.