Vira Raya design, struck on high relief particular to Calicut. 9mm, 0.38 grams. Kozhikode  (Calicut) mint. Herrli #1.12.; Krause KM #-.

The Zamorins (Samoothiri) were the hereditary monarchs of the Kingdom of Kozhikode (Calicut) in the South Malabar region of India. Calicut was one of the most important trading ports on the southwest coast of India. At the peak of their reign, they ruled over a region extending from Kozhikode Kollam (Kollam) to the borders of Panthalayini Kollam (Koyilandy). The fanams minted by the Zamorins of Calicut had a value of 6 British pence, and were traded at 4 1/2 to a silver rupee. The mint in Calicut was already in operation in 1667, and probably opened much earlier than that, since the port was already rich in gold and of immense importance in the 1500s. Calicut was occupied by the British in the late 1700s, and the mint stopped minting these fanams in 1793.