Interesting Antique Indian Coins from the Colonial Era worth Collecting!

Antique coins of India were issued by various European powers like the Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company, French East India Company, British East India Company and Portugal during the colonial period. Apart from that, The British East India Company also issued separate antique Indian coins of Madras Presidency, Bombay Presidency and Bengal presidency. Let’s take a look at some rare and interesting colonial coins of India.

Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company issued Gold coins of the denomination Pagoda from 1747 to 1784.These coins were Die Struck featuring a degenerated Vishnu on the obverse and a granulated reverse. This is one of the rare coins in India that were issued during the colonial period.

Danish East India Company
The Danish East India Company issued copper coins of the denomination Royalin under the regime of Christian VII in the year 1780. These beautiful antique Indian coins were Die Struck featuring the crowned C7 monogram on the obverse while the denomination, date and arms lion in between on the reverse.

French East India Company
The French East India Company issued silver rupee coins under the regime of Alamgir II in 1170s AH. These Coins were die-struck at Arkat mint featuring the inscription Alamgir in Persian on the obverse. There are many other rare coins in India that were issued by the French East India Company.

British East India Company
The British East India Company issued Gold coins of the denomination two Mohurs under the regime of Queen Victoria. These 11.66 grams coin had a diameter of 32.5 millimetres and were die-struck at Calcutta mint in the year 1854.  These Extremely Rare coins in India were struck as Proof coins with a plain edge and were not struck as currency. The obverse features the bust of the Queen facing left along with the inscription VICTORIA QUEEN 1854, within a raised, toothed rim. The Reverse depicts a standing lion with a palm tree above. Other inscriptions include EAST INDIA COMPANY, the denomination in English and Persian, all within a raised, toothed rim.

East India Company
The East India Company issued copper Cash coins for the Madras Presidency in the year 1740. These coins were die-struck at Fort St. David. The obverse featured the legend Sri in Tamil while the reverse depicted the text Kumpini (Company) in Tamil.

Look for these amazing rare coins of India and make your collection more vibrant.

4 Amazing Coins of India form 4 Different Eras

There is something about Coins of India that make them extremely desirable among numismatists and coin collectors form all over the world. Each of these beautiful Indian coins has a lot of historical significance. They also share a lot of information about the traditions and cultures followed during a particular era. Based on time period, Indian coins can be classified into four main categories namely, ancient, medieval, colonial and modern. Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing coins of India belonging to each of these four categories.


Ancient Coins of India

Gandhara Janapada was one of the earliest Janapadas that existed from around 600 BC to 300 BC. The silver Shatamana coins issued by Gandhara Janapada are considered to the earliest coins of the world. These coins were rectangular in shape and weighed around 11.5 grams. The weighing standards were maintained by using rati seeds. These rare Indian coins featured designs only on one side. The other side depicted two six-petal flowers on the two ends of the elongated planchets. The design was imprinted on the planchet using the punch-mark process.

 Indian Coins of the Medieval Period

The Gold Hon coins that were issued during the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are extremely rare. These beautiful medieval India Coins were made out of 2.9 to 3.5 grams of gold. These coins were die-struck and featured Devanagri legends on both sides. The Devanagri legend on the obverse reads Shri Raja Shiva within row of dots.  The Devanagri legend on the reverse reads Chhatrapati within row of dots. Many auction houses around the world have sold this coin for a very good amount.

 Old Indian Coins from Colonial Era

The British East India Company had issued Gold coins of the denomination 1 Mohur featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria on the obverse. These extremely rare Indian coins issued in 1841 weighed around 11.66 grams and had a diameter of 26 millimetres.  These coins were die-struck at Calcutta Mint featuring the bust of Queen Victoria on the obverse and the continuous legend: VICTORIA QUEEN 1841, within a raised, toothed rim. The reverse depicted a standing lion facing left with a palm tree above. Other inscriptions included EAST INDIA COMPANY, ONE MOHUR and YEK ASHRAFI in Persian, within a raised, toothed rim.

 Republic India coins

The Government of India had issued a 50 Paise stainless steel coin in the year 2013 at Kolkata Mint. These Republic India coins are scarce and featured the emblem of India flanked by BHARAT in Devanagari and INDIA in roman on the obverse. The reverse depicted the denomination 50 PAISE in English as well as Devanagari. The word PAISE is also written in Roman. The year date 2013 is surrounded by flower scrolls. If you spot this Indian coin with no mint mark, you are lucky!

We have only talked about four Indian coins here. There are hundreds of other varieties to be explored!

Examples of Some Interesting Old Notes of India

We frequently use Indian notes for our day-to-day transactions, but we rarely take an effort to learn about the history of Indian notes. The earliest notes of India were issued by Bank of Bengal, bank of Madras and Bank of Bombay. They were circulated for Bengal presidency, Madras presidency and Bombay presidency respectively. Did you know that currency notes in India were issued in unique denominations like 16 rupees, 4 rupees, 250 rupees, 1 gold mohur, 25 rupees, 8 rupees and company 5 rupees by Bank of Bengal? Similarly Bank of Bombay had released old notes of India of the denomination 5000 rupees as well. Bank of Madras had issued rare notes of India of the denomination 15 rupees.

Uniface Indian notes featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria, of the denomination 20 rupees were issued on 10th June 1864 and were made of handmade white paper. It depicted a profile portrait of Queen Victoria in a floral wreath. Other texts included 'Government of India'; Serial numbers with prefix - One letter and two numerals; Denomination in words and numerals appeared in Bangla and Persian; the name of Sub-Circle was overprinted. The Watermark featured the text GOVERNMENT OF INDIA, denomination in words and numerals in a rectangle, signature of the finance member of legislative Council - Sir James Wilson, and that of the Governor General Lord canning.

The 5 rupees old Indian notes featuring King George V featured 8 Indian Languages on the language panel namely, Urdu, Kaithi, Bangla, Burmese, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Gujarati. The watermark consisted of a star with rays, 'Govt/Of' in two lines and 'India' in wavy lines and a flag on the right.

The pink coloured 2 rupees note featuring King George VI were produced using machine made paper and featured the signature of JB Taylor. The 100 rupees rare notes of India from the princely state of Hyderabad featured the Urdu text Sarkar-e-Ali' which means Government Currency Note. It also had two five digit serial numbers, Royal Coat of Arms, Denomination in words in Marathi, Telugu, O.S. Rs. ONE THOUSAND and Kannada. Promise text, EK HAZAR SICCA OSMANIA, Date panel, For the Government in Urdu, signature; denomination in numerals in Siyaq, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and English.

There are many other interesting and historically significant currency notes in India. Once you start researching, you will surely fall in love with them.

Invest in Quality Coin Collecting Supplies if You Truly Love History

Historical coins always deserve to be treated in a special way. They are treasures that hold innumerable unknown mysteries. They are not just pieces of metals; they have witnessed a different Era that was unknown to us before the coin’s discovery. Human beings from a different era had used them for their daily transactions. How were their lives like, without the modern comforts and amenities of today’s times? Every answer points to the fact that it is our duty to preserve and protect these valuable artefacts. It is absolutely disheartening to meet collectors who are not too keen on storing their coins safely. It is better not to collect historical coins if you don’t want to take up the responsibility of safeguarding them. One must invest in coin collecting supplies wisely if he or she is serious about numismatics or the hobby of coin collecting. These coin accessories protect your coins from external elements like dust and moisture.

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

It is not very difficult to find good quality coin collecting accessories. At least, it is not as difficult as putting together an impressive collection of rare coins. So why does any collector even have to think twice in this matter? Coin albums come in various sizes and shapes these days. They will surely help you segregate your collection in an organised manner. Coin capsules are made of tough plastic, which eliminates the chances producing unwanted scratches or abrasions on coins. Coin holders are made of cardboard with transparent plastic sheets on both sides, so that the obverse and reverse designs are clearly visible. Finally there are coin storage boxes which come with special kind of holders and slots to preserve rare or precious coins. Coin collecting supplies are easily available on various online portals as well. Coin accessories of well-known brands like Lighthouse last longer as they are made of high quality material. They are like one-time investments that you need to make even before you start collecting coins.

If you genuinely have any kind of respect or love for history, then you will make sure that you keep your coins safely in good quality coin collecting supplies. Even if you wish to sell your coins a few years down the line, you will have to maintain their condition by storing them in coin collecting accessories for good returns.

Varieties of Medieval Period Coins That You Might Not be Aware About!

When we talk about coin of medieval India in the field of numismatics, the ones issued by popular kings like Akbar, Shahjahan, Shivaji etc are more popular. However there are several other interesting medieval period coins of India that have a lot of historical significance. These unique medieval coins can make your collection even more interesting. Let’s take a look at some unique coins of medieval India today.

Medieval coins of India can be broadly classified into five groups namely, the once issued by various sultans, Mughal coinage, coins struck under independent kingdoms, coins issued by princely states and finally the ones issued by Hindu Kingdoms and empires. The Indian subcontinent was governed by various sultanates like Delhi Sultanate, Malwa Sultanate, Gujarat sultanate, Bengal sultanate, Deccan Sultanate etc. in the medieval times. Apart from them, Kashmir, Ahmadnagar, Madura etc. were also governed by different sultanates. Each of these sultanates issued different medieval period coins featuring various designs and inscriptions.

Then comes the coins of Medieval India struck under the Mughals. Powerful emperors like Akbar and Shahjahan issued various types of beautiful medieval coins which are sold at auction houses across the world even today for impressive amounts.

When it comes to independent kingdoms, medieval period coins issued under the Marathas, Ahom dynasty, Mysore, Vijayanagar Empire and Sikhs come into the picture. As a passionate collector, you can research about these varieties and add value to your collection of medieval coins.

Coins issued by Princely states fall under another huge category. You can consider collecting beautiful coins of Bhopal, Bhavnagar, Awadh, Bikaner, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Indore, Mysore, Travancore etc. You will be able to understand the unique cultures, traditions and languages of India through the study of these amazing coins of Medieval India.

Finally you can look for coins issued by Hindu Kingdoms and empires like Nolambas, Yadavas, Hoysalas, Eastern Gangas, Imperial Cholas, Vaghelas etc. 
All in all, if you thought that medieval coins are only about the ones issued by Mughals and Marathas, then you are totally wrong! You must look to expand your horizons as a collector and keep researching about the different varieties of Medieval Period coins.