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1/4 Pe - Mindon Min
| Issuer | Royal Burmese Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1865 |
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| Currency | First kyat (1852-1889) |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the Burmese royal peacock (hintha) displayed facing left in profile, with its elaborate tail feathers fully fanned and radiating outward to fill the field in a highly stylised decorative arrangement. The peacock, a traditional symbol of the Konbaung dynasty, stands upon a ground line with its plumage rendered in a series of concentric eye-like motifs. The overall design is characteristic of the indigenous artistic tradition of the Mandalay mint under King Mindon Min. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse bears a densely composed floral and foliate decorative field rendered in the traditional Burmese kalaok (scrollwork) style, with interlocking floral rosettes and curved tendrils covering the entire surface. Within this ornamental ground, three lines of Burmese script are inscribed, stating the Burmese era year 1227, and the denomination 1/4 Pe. The inscription is positioned centrally within the decorative field, consistent with Mandalay mint practice of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Mindon Min established the Royal Mint at Mandalay in 1861 — the first indigenous coinage system Burma had operated in centuries — specifically to resist the economic encroachment of British Indian currency spreading northward from Lower Burma following the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The 1865 copper issues circulated almost exclusively in Upper Burma, the rump kingdom Mindon still controlled, and saw relatively limited use because traditional cowrie shells and imported coin remained deeply embedded in local trade.
KM#17 is among the more obtainable denominations from this mint, though copper survivors with unimpaired surfaces are less common than the silver issues, owing to the climate of the Irrawaddy basin.