5 Interesting Antique Indian Coins from the Colonial Period

Antique coins of India struck by colonial powers such as Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company and French East India Company are not commonly found among collectors. Let’s take a look at five beautiful antique Indian coins that were struck during the colonial Era today. 

Copper Stuiver of Dutch East India Company

These antique coins of India issued by the Dutch East India Company bear the denomination Stuiver and were die-struck on Copper. The obverse featured a front-facing figure of Goddess Kali while the reverse featured the Tamil inscription 'Nakapattanam' in two lines.



Gold Pagoda of Dutch East India Company

These beautiful antique Indian coins issued by Dutch East India Company were die-struck struck in gold somewhere between 1784 and 1794. They bore the denomination Pagoda and featured a degenerated Vishnu, out lazy "J" at three O'clock on the obverse. The reverse of these colonial coins was granulated.

2 Cash Copper Coin of Danish East India Company

These rare coins in India were issued by Danish East India Company during the reign of Frederik V in the year 1761. These antique coins of India bore the denomination 2 Cash and were die-struck in copper. The obverse featured a crowned F5 Monogram, Block F while the reverse features a crowned DAC Monogram which divides the date, and number 2 below.




Silver Rupee of French East India Company

These antique India coins were issued by French East India Company during the reign of Shah Alam II in the year 1218 and Regnal year 43. These silver rupee coins followed the AH calendar system and were Die Struck at Arcot Mint.  The obverse featured a Persian legend Shah Alam and a Couplet.

Silver Half Rupee of East India Company 

These rare coins of British India were die-struck in 5.83 grams of Silver by East India Company during the reign of William IV in 1835 AD at Calcutta Mint. They bore the denomination half rupee and had a diameter of 24.9 millimetres. The obverse featured the letter “F” raised on truncation. The obverse featured an effigy of King facing right and the divided legend: WILLIAM IIII, KING. The reverse of these antique Indian coins featured the value in English and Persian, 1/4 RUPEE within a wreath of laurel. Other texts include EAST INDIA COMPANY 1835.

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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.