Coin India Mysore, Tipu Sultan - Gold Fanam - 1215 AM (1787) Patan

This gold fanam was issued under the reign of Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, in the year 1215 of the Mauludi calendar (1787 of the Common Era), by the mint of Patan.

The fanam is one of the smallest denominations of the monetary system established by Tipu Sultan, who profoundly reformed the coinage of Mysore by introducing a new nomenclature, his own calendar, and distinctive coin types that broke with earlier traditions. The Patan mint was part of the extensive network of workshops that the ruler organised in order to assert the identity and sovereignty of his kingdom.

In 1787, Tipu Sultan was continuing to consolidate his authority after having succeeded his father, Hyder Ali, in 1782. His reign was marked by significant administrative, military and economic reforms, as well as by growing tensions with the British East India Company and its regional allies, notably the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad. The Second Anglo-Mysore War had ended a few years earlier with the Treaty of Mangalore, which granted the kingdom a period of relative stability. Tipu Sultan took advantage of this respite to strengthen the institutions of the State, particularly his monetary system, by multiplying issues across his territories. This coin thus bears witness to the political and economic ambitions of a ruler whose reign would end with the fall of Seringapatam in 1799.