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!