ID For India Princely State Silver Coin

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 185
ClusterCoin Valued Member Australia 100 Posts	Posted 02/25/2025 7:50 pm Could someone please ID what I think is an 18th or 19th century Princely State coin? It appears to be silver. Just over 11 grams. 23mm diameter. About 2mm thick. I have a few Princely State coins and I've always found them to be very challenging to accurately ID. This one is a little unusual as it has two people on it, looking at a large crown. My other coins only have writing on them. Thank you Report this Post to the Staff

Spence Moderator United States 32709 Posts	Posted 02/25/2025 8:21 pm Hey there @clu. Hopefully someone will be along to either confirm or gently correct me, but I'm thinking this Rupee is from mid-19th Century Awadh. Here is a link to the numista examples from this princely state: https://en.numista.com/catalogue/in...incely_state "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
ClusterCoin Valued Member Australia 100 Posts	Posted 02/25/2025 8:54 pm Hi Spence. My coin is the same weight and dimensions as this one, and the design looks very similar too (for someone who cannot read Arabic...) https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces64946.html My coin has various clusters of dots on it, which I think may be a different mint to Lucknow. The pictured coin on Numista has much more wear. This one seems very similar too, but again with different clusters of dots. https://katzauction.com/lot/389085 Maybe these are die variations? Different version numbers, so to speak? Report this Post to the Staff
Spence Moderator United States 32709 Posts	Posted 02/25/2025 9:11 pm Yes that Katz auction coin in particular looks like a close match. I'm not 100% sure if the clusters of dots are purely decoration or also sometimes serve as vowels, but the script looks pretty much the same to me too and I see the name Shah Muhammad Ali written in the second pic. With that said, we do have someone who is a true expert on the coins of India and pops in at CCF from time to time. Here is a link to their massive, 48 page thread on the Princely States. Representative coins from Awadh are on pages 2 and 3, but none look to be a better match than the Katz coin. http://goccf.com/t/261679 "If you climb a good tree, you get a push." -----Ghanaian proverb "The danger we all now face is distinguishing between what is authentic and what is performed." -----King Adz Report this Post to the Staff
ClusterCoin Valued Member Australia 100 Posts	Posted 02/25/2025 9:50 pm Thank you for your help Spence. I would say this coin is accurately identified. Now that I know what words to look for, here is a well worn example on ebay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/126928241754 All these coins appear to be from different dies, so I assume dies at this time were still crafted by hand. I will browse the extensive Princely State coin thread to try and identify my other coins. As to the dot cluster variations between my coin and others online, ChatGPT has the following to say about it: Quote: Mint Marks & Identifiers: Many Indian princely state coins had distinguishing marks (including dots, crescents, or floral motifs) to indicate the specific mint where they were struck. Since these coins were struck in different locations (e.g., Lucknow, Banares, etc.), slight variations in design, including the arrangement of dots, can occur. Control Marks or Die Variations: The dots could be engraver's marks used to distinguish between different die sets or production batches. Hand-cut dies led to slight inconsistencies between different coin issues. Regnal Year & Dating Variations: Some Indian rupees display small dots or symbols to denote regnal years (e.g., the number of years the ruler had been in power). If your coin is missing certain dots, it may be from a different year of the same ruler's reign. Forgery Prevention or Later Alterations: Some coins were marked with small symbols to deter counterfeiting. If your coin lacks some of these dots, it could be due to differences in minting techniques, wear, or even a later alteration. Edited by ClusterCoin 02/25/2025 9:52 pm Report this Post to the Staff
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