Let’s take a close look at three antique Indian coins issued during the colonial period along with some interesting facts about them. Gold Pagoda of Dutch East India Company Not many would be aware about the fact that Dutch East India Company issued antique Indian coins featuring an image of a Hindu God. Yes that’s very true. These colonial coins were struck somewhere between 1784 and 1794. They were die-struck in Gold and bore the denomination Pagoda. The obverse side of these rare coins in India featured a degenerated Vishnu, out lazy "J" at three O'clock. The reverse side was granulated. ½ Rupee of King George V These extremely rare coins of British India were die-struck at Calcutta Mint in 5.83 grams of silver during the rule of George V in 1911. They bore the denomination half rupee and had a diameter of 24.5 millimetres. There is a very interesting story behind these antique Indian coins which had a mintage limit of only 2.293. It belonged to a new series consisting of other denominations such as Rupee, Quarter Rupee, Two Annas and Quarter Anna. All coins in this series feature the king wearing a robe. A small elephant is also featured at the bottom of the bust. However, this elephant looked like a pig's snout. Many people were offended by this design as the pig was considered to be unholy. That’s the reason why, these antique coins of India were taken out of circulation quickly. The coins that were issued in 1912 depict a clear elephant. 1/12 ANNA of King Edward VII Ever heard of an Indian denomination from colonial times, as small as this one? These antique coins of India were die-struck in 2.16 grams of copper at Calcutta Mint during the reign of King Edward VII in 1904. They are considered to be some of the rarest coins of India and interestingly, they bore the tiny denomination of 1/12 Anna. The obverse side featured a bust of Edward VII facing right, along with the inscription EDWARD VII KING & EMPEROR, while the reverse side depicted the denomination and date within a circle of beads.
Hope you enjoyed reading about these wonderful antique Indian coins from the colonial period.
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorPassionate collector of coins, banknotes & stamps who loves researching about ancient, medieval & modern Indian history! Archives
June 2019
Categories
All
|