Pysa
Encyclopedia
The Pysa was a Zanzibar
i coin that was struck in AH1299 (1882) and AH1304 (1887). The obverses of these coins have a pair of scales
. The name 'Pysa' is derived from the currency units 'Pice' and 'Paisa
'. The AH1299 1 Pysa often turns up in old coin
collections, but the AH1304 coin very seldom turns up. Both coins were struck at Heaton's Mint, Birmingham
, England
.
These coins were commissioned by Sultan Barghash ibn Said ibn Sultan who was, apparently and understandably, upset that his name was written incorrectly on the coins as "Sultan Said ibn Barghash ibn Sultan". It is accompanied by the expression "حفظه الله", "may Allah save him". Note that even one of the Arabic characters was incorrectly written: the "fa" in "حفظه" is written with a dot below (a Maghreb variant) rather than with the dot above as in standard Arabic script.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
i coin that was struck in AH1299 (1882) and AH1304 (1887). The obverses of these coins have a pair of scales
Weighing scale
A weighing scale is a measuring instrument for determining the weight or mass of an object. A spring scale measures weight by the distance a spring deflects under its load...
. The name 'Pysa' is derived from the currency units 'Pice' and 'Paisa
Paisa
The paisa is a monetary unit in several countries. Linguistic variants of paisa include poisha and baisa . In India, Nepal and Pakistan, the paisa currently equals of a rupee. In Bangladesh, the poisha equals of a Bangladeshi taka...
'. The AH1299 1 Pysa often turns up in old coin
Coin
A coin is a piece of hard material that is standardized in weight, is produced in large quantities in order to facilitate trade, and primarily can be used as a legal tender token for commerce in the designated country, region, or territory....
collections, but the AH1304 coin very seldom turns up. Both coins were struck at Heaton's Mint, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
These coins were commissioned by Sultan Barghash ibn Said ibn Sultan who was, apparently and understandably, upset that his name was written incorrectly on the coins as "Sultan Said ibn Barghash ibn Sultan". It is accompanied by the expression "حفظه الله", "may Allah save him". Note that even one of the Arabic characters was incorrectly written: the "fa" in "حفظه" is written with a dot below (a Maghreb variant) rather than with the dot above as in standard Arabic script.