A brief history ...
Muslim raids began on northern India at the close of the 900s. In 1338 Bengal, a region that includes Bangladesh, was able to separate itself from the Delhi sultanate and remain independent until its conquest by the Mughals in 1576. During this period the majority of the population became Muslims. At the Battle of Plassey in 1757, Robert Clive, acting for the company, defeated the ruler of Bengal and placed in office a successor more sympathetic to British interests. By 1772 the British had gained control over all of Bengal. In 1905 the British created the Muslim-dominated province of East Bengal to reduce friction with the mostly Hindu surrounding area, though the partition was reversed in 1912. Pakistan gained its independence from British India on August 14, 1947, and East Bengal became East Pakistan. East Pakistan declared its independence as the People's Republic of Bangladesh on December 16, 1971.
Bangladesh's monetary history has followed that of India. The earliest locally made coins were probably made during the second century BC, but there is no firm evidence of locally minted coins until the late Gupta period when Sasanka, king of Gauda (c. 600-625) issued Gupta-style gold coins. Indian, Burmese and Islamic coins circulated in Bangladesh for the next 500 years.
During the 1190s, Muhammad Bakhtyar Khilji, the Ghorid leader, invaded Bangladesh and issued gold coins with Arabic inscriptions. The Delhi Sultanate also issued large silver coins known as ‘tankas' for local governors. The local governors gained their independence between 1339 and 1538 and issued their own coins. The Delhi Sultanate re-established control in 1538 and in 1576 Bengal was absorbed into the Mughal Empire. Under Akbar, the Mughal's first emperor (1556-1605), gold mohur and silver rupees were issued.
After the British gained control of Bengal in 1772, the British East India Company began minting coins in Calcutta that circulated throughout Bengal. The East India Company made the Madras rupee of the weight established in 1818 the standard for all of India; it was therefore called the "Company's rupee." Calcutta (sicca) rupees ceased to be legal tender as of 1 January 1838 (East India Company, Act No. 13 of 1836). The 1835 act also provided for coining the gold mohur, which was done beginning 1 September 1835. East India Company, proclamation of 13 January 1841, explicitly allowed mohurs to be used in paying the government, though they were not legal tender for paying private persons. The effect was to make India quasi bimetallic at a ratio of 15 units silver =1 unit gold. Gold mohurs ceased to be legal tender on December 1, 1853 putting India on a silver standard. In 1862 the coinage was transferred from the East India Company to the Indian colonial government (India, Act No. 13 of 1862). In 1876, the government of India was allowed to admit coins of native states as legal tender upon certain conditions (India, Act No. 9 of 1876).
The British standardized the silver Rupee (INR) throughout India, and it became the principal medium of exchange. Its value fluctuated, relative to the British Pound, as the values of silver and gold fluctuated. The Rupee fluctuated between 27 pence in 1870 and 16 pence on June 26 1893 when India effectively went on the gold standard. The Indian Coinage and Paper Currency Act, No. 22 of 1899 established a Pound Sterling exchange standard, giving legal tender status to British Gold Sovereigns. Banknotes were issued by the Government of India from 1861 until 1937, and by the Reserve Bank of India from 1937 until 1948.
Initially, after gaining its independence, the Reserve Bank of India continued to issue banknotes and coins for Pakistan. The Pakistan Rupee (PKR) was introduced on April 1, 1948 as part of a currency union with India. The Rupee was made divisible into 100 Paise. Banknotes were issued by both the Government of Pakistan, and by the State Bank of Pakistan. The Bangladesh Taka (BDT) was created on January 1, 1972 and replaced the Pakistan Rupee at par, though notes were not issued until March 4, 1972 and coins on September 15, 1973. The Taka is divisible into 100 Paise. The Bangladesh Bank issues banknotes for Bangladesh. |
This coin is valued at 50 Poisha and sated 1980. The obverse of the coin features the national emblem, Shapla, within a wreath above water surrounded by a dotted rim. Shapla is considered a delicious item for the Bangladeshis, rural people consume it as curry, and children are also fond of eating the stem and the fruit. The theme of the reverse features FAO symbols within an inner ring, a legend around the outside, and the value at the bottom.
The F.A.O. is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Its purpose is to lead international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy.
- Weight: 1.450g
- Diameter: 20.33mm
- Material: Steel
- Edge: Reeded
- Mint: NA
- Mintage: NA
- Krause # KM-13
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