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| East Africa Rupee Equivalent |
EAST AFRICA Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania
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FLORIN 1920H E.africa
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NGC MS 63
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This is a two year type that was 11.66 gms and 50% silver purity - matching the then British India Rupee in weight but not purity (This would match the 1940-1945 Rupee). This the the more common H mint. Prior to 1920, the Indian Rupee was used in the region along with the German Rupie which traded in Tanzania and was annexed into East Africa post 1919.
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| Rewa Princely State Rupee |
INDIA - EUROPEAN Princely States Rewa 1918
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RUPEE VS1975(1918) REWA
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NGC MS 64
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TOP POP across year, type and both NGC/PCGS
Rewa was a princely state, famous for Birbal and Tansen who were sent from the court of Rewa to the court of Akbar in the 1500s. This is an accession commemorative rupee for Gulab Singh, then 15, in 1918. He was the 2nd to last ruler of Rewa. References indicate that this was the only rupee coin issued by the state. The date on the coin VS1975 refers to 1918 AD.
This coin is great since it has the typical strike of central Indian rupees of the time (like Indore, Baroda) while having nice natural toning and of course being a top pop. A lot of states had resorted to the emblem or monogram type of design after Awadh had started the trend in the 1850s, but Rewa did choose to avoid a portrait. The writing is in Hindi and in fact Gulab Singh was one of the first to push for Hindi to become the national language of India.
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| Portuguese India Rupia |
INDIA - PORTUGUESE Goa 1869
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RUPIA 1869 PORTUGUESE - GOA
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NGC MS 65
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This is the last of the crude hammered Rupias issued by Portuguese India with a mintage run from 1866-1869. 1 rupia was 600 Réis. Subsequent coins of Luiz I were milled and made with machine presses by the British (1881 was the next dated rupia).
This coin has insane luster and I love the super-crude portrait of the Portuguese king. Goa rupees always had terrible portraits (in style, detail, accuracy and fineness) and this has great detail of what looks like a drawing done by a 10 year old. It is tied for top pop for the type and also tied top pop for any hammered Portuguese Rupia. It is also the coin pictured on the NGC price guide.
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| Dutch East Indias (Indonesia) Rupia |
N.E.INDIES Java (Indonesia) 1750
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RUPEE 1750 Java
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PCGS MS 65
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The silver Indian (Mugha l- Surat) rupee was widely traded here so a local version of it was issued from 1747-1750 with Arabic text (reading 'Dirham of the Dutch Company' and 'For the island Java the Great'). It was 11.30 gms and valued at 30 stuivers. Counter-stamping became more prevalent after this. This lustrous example is tied for top pop for its type.
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| British India Rupee |
INDIA - BRITISH
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RUPEE 1893B
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PCGS MS 65
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TOP POP tied at PCGS for this year and for the type
This is my type set coin for the 4th major type of Victoria Rupee minted (1874-1901). This is a standard 11.66gm of 91.7% silver coin. For some reason, coins from 1891-1893, while being very common even in high grades, tended to tone better than other Victoria rupees and this is probably one of the prettiest ones I have seen.
This coin is included simply because of the fantastic rainbow toning on the observe. It has a steely blue tone on the reverse with no spots to distract from the coin. It is tied for being a top pop for the both the year and the type across both grading services.
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| French India Rupee |
INDIA - DANE,DUTCH,FRENCH
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RUPEE AH1218//43 FRENCH - ARCOT
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NGC MS 65
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This French Rupee was struck with the Arkot mintmark but according to KM, it was likely actually struck in Pondicherry. The year AH1218, RY 43 corresponds to 1804 and during this time Pondicherry was under the British, so maybe this coin was actually struck at Arkot. They werestruck in the name of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II (The Mughals had ironically never conquered the area) since the French wanted to use the same British strategy of minting Mughal looking coins for acceptance in commerce.
Obverse Sikka zad bar haft Kishwur / Sayaye Fazl, Shah Alam Bad Shah / elah Hami Din Mohammad.
Reverse Zarb Arkat / sanat 44 julus / maimanet / manus.
This is bright white super lustrous coin with immaculate detail and struck on a compact but perfectly circular flan. This coin is top pop at NGC for the type.
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| Seychelles Rupee |
SEYCHELLES
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Silver 0.500 RUPEE 1939
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PCGS MS 64
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Seychelles was British ruled for almost a century before they decided to introduce a local currency in 1914. 1939 was the first year when a one rupee coin was minted and remains the only silver rupee from the islands. This 50% silver coin matched the size, weight and purity specifications of the Indian rupee that was considered in late 1939 (but was not implemented in India until 1940) and has a mintage of 90,000. The lower silver content (than the prevailing 1939 British India rupee was attempted to prevent the export of these coins back to India. The Seychellois Rupee continues in use today. This is the top pop coin from PCGS (NGC does have eight graded as 64 and two 64+ grades)
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| British Ceylon Rupee Counterstamped |
CEYLON & SRI LANKA
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1.33RD (1823) Ceylon CROWN C/S MADRAS RUPEE C/S: UNC STRONG
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NGC AU 58
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This coin is extremely rare and surprisingly difficult to find. This coin is the top pop at NGC for the type and has a very strong counterstamp. The 1/4 rupee c/s version is easier to find but is also quite rare.
This is the last Ceylon "rupee" in silver that ended up trading at the equivalent of a rupee. The first British coinage; the 1803 48 stuivers (elephant right) was 152.5 grains of silver and technically could have traded with the British Indian rupee on par. With the British having just taken Ceylon from the Dutch, the Dutch names were initially retained with the Rix Dollar (rijksdaalder) being the main silver unit. By the end of 1803, a new type of Rix dollar was being coined. The rupee ended up being traded at 1.33 Rix dollars. The British made a specific effort not to introduce the British India rupee in Ceylon, but the silver Rix dollars being coined were constantly underweight and meant that no silver coinage actually traded in Ceylon.
The coin counter marked with the British crown is the Madras Mint Arcot One rupee with closed lotus form (Krause Madras Presidency #413) the issue of which was authorized by a proclamation dated 1817 December 9th in Fort St. George (Madras). The coins bear a date of AH1172 (which is 1764) even though they were minted much later.
The number issued from the 1824 Ceylon Blue book lists that 282,337 Arcot rupee coin were imported into Ceylon and counter marked for local use by a later proclamation dated 1823 December 31st. to pass at 4/3 rix-dollar or 16 fanams. (Pridmore #24; Mitchiner #2224; Krause #86). All these coins have a very precisely located counterstamp.
Ironically, these coins, valued at 16 fanam, were actually overweight in silver compared to the prevailing rates and these coins were withdrawn from circulation after the British Sterling was introduced in the island 2-years later.
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| French Nazarana India Rupee |
INDIA - DANE,DUTCH,FRENCH
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RUPEE AH1198//32 FRENCH - ARCOT NAZARANA
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NGC AU 58
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Indo-French, Arkat Mint, Silver Nazarana Rupee, AH 1198 (1784)/32 RY, In the name of Shah Alam II.
It is reported that broad-flan Rupees, with full legends visible, were struck at Pondicherry for Mahé. See in particular the article "Le monnayage de Mahé" by Daniel Cariou in Numismatique Asiatique Numéro 4 (Dec. 2012). Rupees such as this do not seem to come to the market with the normal signs of circulation so may have been used solely or primarily as presentation pieces. This coin has a mistaken date engraved is 32 instead of 23. Jean Lecompte lists 19 coins of this date.
Obverse: "saya-e-fazle" couplet,sikka zad bar haft kishwar sayale fazle elah hami-e-dine mohammad, shah alam badshah,
Reverse: Sana 32 julus, zarb arkat at bottom, heavily decorated with rosettes,
11.43g, 32.0mm, (KM # 16)
ex Baldwins 41, 246 (Jan 2020)
ex CNG India (2022)
This coin is tied for NGC top pop for the type and is the since top pop for the year. The toning is natural and attractive and it has the minutest wear at the high points.
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