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Saturday 29 August 2020

1463) History of the British India Coinage:(1611-1947):

1463) History of the British India Coinage:(1611-1947):


6th Century BC: India was one of the earliest issuers of coins around this period.

The first “Rupee” coin was believed to be introduced by Sher Shah Suri (1486-1545) based on a ratio of 40 copper pieces (paise) per Rupee.

The word “Rupee” derives from the Sanskrit word “Raupya” (meaning “Silver”) and was initially a silver coin.

The Advent of the British East India Company (BEIC) in India:

In 1611, the first British settlement took place on the East Coast or Coromandel Coast at Machilipatnam (Masulipatnam).

In 1620, the next British Settlement took place South of Madras.

In 1639, a “firman” (Royal Order) was granted to the BEIC by Venkadri Naik permitting it to “perpetually enjoy the privilege of minting coins”.

In 1640, as trading activities grew rapidly, Fort St. George was established in Madras.

Also, in 1640, the First English Mint was established by Francis Dey, a BEIC Agent and Scout.

This Mint struck coins for in and around the Company’s territories in the Northern Circars for nearly 200 years.

The earliest coins were “Dump Coins” similar to those of neighbouring Hindu Territories and close imitations of the Mughal coins of the Subah of Arcot.

In 1692, the Mint had obtained permission to strike Silver rupees of the Mughals.

In 1695, a new mint was established in the North-west corner of the Fort, by what became known as the Mint Bastion.

In 1742, a Second English Mint was established in Chintradipet.
Also, in 1742, the Fort Mint was permitted to strike the Arcot Rupee and Arcot coins of lower denominations.

In 1792, as the Minting work increased, the Chintradipet Mint was moved to the Fort and the two mints became the Gold and Silver Mints, minting star Pagodas, which were replacing the Madras Pagodas, Arcot Rupees and Madras and Arcot “fanams” and “doodoos”, as well as, Indian Temple tokens in Gold, Silver and Copper.



In 1807, the Madras Mint produced two series of coins:

One series was  based on Hindu Standard consisting of one and two Pagoda in gold, half and quarter pagoda and “fanams” in silver. The Copper Coins consisted of “Cash denominations”.

The other series was based on the Mughal Standard consisting of Gold Mohurs and fractions of Mohurs – ¼, 1/3, ½.

The Mint also issued Rupees together with fractions down to 1/8, 1/16 rupee in silver, as well as, 2 Rupee coins.

The copper coin in this series were Faluce (Dub) with inscriptions in Persian on one side and Tamil/Telugu inscriptions on the other face, indicating the value in Dub units.

Interestingly, the BEIC had started introducing British symbols – East India Company Symbols and/or the King’s image on one face and the other face was identical to the local Indian coinage

When the users started objecting to this, they were informed that these coins were meant to be used in the EIC’s trading posts only, but slowly they started getting accepted outside company territories too.

In 1815, as the Company’s influence began to grow pan-India, it was decided to set up two bigger mints at Calcutta and Bombay.

The Calcutta Mint:

On 24.08.1690, the East India Company Settlement at Calcutta was established.

In 1696, its factory was fortified.

In 1700, a major fort was established named after King William III.

By 1715, East India Company had no rights to mint their own coins and had trading rights only. It was sending its gold and silver to the Murshidabad Mint where it was struck into coins after paying standard duties and mint charges.

On 1756, Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah of the Mughal Province of Bengal captured Fort William and renamed Calcutta as “Alinagar”.

In 1757, Robert Clive recaptured the Fort and forced Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah to agree to giving the East India Company the right to establish its own mint and issue silver and gold coins (“Siccas” and “Asharfis”/”Mohurs”) struck on the standard of the Murshidabad Mint. These coins circulated in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, without any additional expenses.

From 1757-1791, the First East India Company Mint as established in a building next to the infamous “Black Hole” in the old Fort.

On 04.04.1757, the first 4,000 Calcutta rupees were minted but were not circulated.

On 15.07.1757, after the Battle of Plassey, the Company for the first time received a formal documentation of authorisation to mint their own coins.

On 28.07.1757, 40,000 Siccas were struck and circulated.

The coins struck at Calcutta Mint were based on the Mughal issues from Murshidabad. The rupee was 0.98 fine silver and each rupee was sub-divided into 16 annas with each anna being further sub-divided into 12 pice and was equivalent to a Bengal “Sicca”.

In 1790, a Second Calcutta Mint was set up at the site of the Gillet Ship Building and became fully functional by 1792.

No trace/remnants of the first two mints exist today on the ground and they are now consigned only to history books.

In 1824, the building of the Third Calcutta Mint was commenced and it became operational on 01.08.1829. This Mint had very advanced machinery and was capable of minting 300,000 to 600,000 silver coins daily. Gold, Copper and Bronze Coins were also minted here apart from making medals.

Now abandoned, it is located at Strand Road facing the Hoogly, near the Howrah Bridge and is now known as the “Old Silver Mint”.




The Fourth Calcutta Mint was mooted in the late 1940s at Alipore and started functioning since 1952.

It started operations with a minting capacity of about 12,00,000 (twelve lacs) coins per eight hourly shifts. The coins of this period are known as “Rupee”, “Anna”, Pice/Paise” etc.

This Mint is presently functioning as an India Government Mint, and isa unit of the Securities Printing and Minting Corporation of India Limited (SPMCIL). It has been in existence for almost five decades now.



This Commemorative Coin was issued, when the Alipore Mint crossed the 60 year milestone in 2012, by the India Government Mint, Kolkata.

The Bombay Mint (presently Mumbai Mint):

The Bombay Mint is one of the oldest mints in India. And its history dates back to the last quarter of the 17th Century.

The First English Mint was set up at Bombay in the Bombay Castle (presently INS Angre, near Town Hall) for coining Rupees, Pies and Bajruks and started functioning since 1672.

The present Bombay Mint was constructed between 1824 and 1830.
For many years, 150,000 coins were produced daily on three steam engines.

Bombay Mint was, then under the administrative control of the Government of Bombay/Bombay Presidency.

In 1876, it was transferred to the British India government.

A new Branch of the Royal Mint of London was opened here during 1918-1919 (World War I),with the objective of coining the British Sovereigns in India. After coining 13,00,000 Sovereigns, this branch was closed in 04/1919.

In 1919, Gold refinery was started in the Bombay Mint after procuring raw gold from South Africa and Indian mines.

In 1929, Silver refining was started with an annual capacity of 80 million ounces of Silver.

East India Company - The Three Presidencies: The Standard Coinage Act 1835:

The three Presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras each had their own coinage up to 1835, when the Standard Coinage Act 1835 was introduced by the BEIC all over its territories.

Under the Standard Coinage Act 1835, it was decided to have uniform coinage across all East India Company territories/Presidencies and do away with all local symbols/designs on the Company’s coinage.

The Madras Mint assisted the Calcutta and Bombay Mints, but, as its capacity was insignificant, it finally closed down in 1869 to make way for a government press in the same premises.

All three issued Silver Rupee coins with fractions down to 1/8 and 1/10 rupee in Silver and 5 and 10 rupees and 1 Mohur in Gold.

Copper denominations were more varied

Bengal -1 pie, ½ pie, 1 and 2 paise.
Bombay – 1 pie, ¼, ½, 1, 1-1/2, 2, and 4 paise.
Madras - 2, 4, pies, 1, 2 and 4 paisa, with the first two denominated as ½ and 1 dub or 1/96 and 1/48 rupee. 
The Madras Presidency also issued the Madras Fanam until 1815.

The Gold Mohurs issued by all three Presidencies included –
Bengal – Gold Mohurs, 1/16, 1/8, ¼ and ½ Mohurs
Bombay – 1/15 (Gold Rupee), and 1/3 (pancia)
Madras – ¼, 1/3 and ½ Mohurs

Coins of the early English Mints & the Three Presidencies:


The Seals of the Presidency Banks. Each one is different.

Some Coins of the Madras Presidency & early English Mints, as seen during my trip to Fort St. George Museum, Chennai, with  my wife Sumita and my friend Ajit:


 Some Coins of the Madras Presidency - Charts


 Single Swami Gold Pagoda - Arcot Nawabs

 Single Swami Gold Pagoda - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse


  Single Swami Gold Pagoda - Arcot Nawabs - Reverse


  Half Pagoda Silver - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse


Five Fanams Silver - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse
 Arcot Nawabs Silver Coin - Obverse (Open Lotus mint mark)


 Three Swami Gold Pagoda - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse

 Gold Mohur - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse

  Arcot Nawabs Silver Coin - Obverse (Closed Lotus mint mark)
  Three Swami Gold Pagoda - Arcot Nawabs - Obverse
 The curator of the Fort St. George Numismatic gallery was very knowledgeable and took us around every exhibit. We discussed each one of the coins placed in the gallery exhibits, including some missing ones, which he said had been taken away by another museum.

In this photograph taken by Sumita, I am writing my comments in the visitors book.

An image of a map depicting the Indian and English mints which were operational/active from the Mughal period to the present. The Map includes Mughal, English, Danish, French, Portuguese and Tipu Sultan's Mints.

For more interesting information on the coins of this period, please visit the following link:

Did You Know Series (15): ii Fort St George Chennai Museum (Part II) Setting up of the first English Mint At Fort St George, Madras in 1640 and its minting activity. ii) Coins of the Arcot Nawabs iii) Coins of the Bombay and Bengal Presidencies iv) Coins of the Mughals, Nayaks, Travancore State and Mysore State











In 1835, a single coinage for the East India Company was put in place. It consisted of –

Copper – 1/12, ¼ and ½ anna
Silver – ¼, ½ and 1 rupee
Gold – 1 and 2 Mohur.




The Obverse of a Copper One Quarter Anna Coin showing the emblem of the East India Company and the year "1835".


The Reverse of the Copper One Quarter Anna Coin showing two inter-linked laurel wreaths, tied with a lemniscate (ribbon).

In 1841, silver 2 annas were added.

In 1853, copper ½ pice were circulated.

Until 1862, the Coinage of the EIC was continued to be issued, when it was taken over by the British Crown.

Regal Issues:

In 1862, the British Crown Coins were introduced referred to as “Regal issues”.

They bore the right facing effigy of Queen Victoria and the designation “India”.

The denominations released into circulation were:

Copper:  1/12 annas, ½ pice, ¼ and ½ anna
Silver: 2 annas, ½ and 1 rupee
Gold: 5 & 10 rupees and 1 mohur

In 1891, the Gold denominations ceased production
Also, after 1877, no ½ anna coins were issued.

Queen/Empress Victoria:

Victoria was crowned Queen upon the death of her uncle King William IV on 20.06.1838.


The Obverse of this Silver One Rupee East India Company Coin issued in 1835 shows an effigy of King William IIII facing right.


The Reverse of the Silver One Rupee East India Company Coin issued in 1835, shows two inter-linked laurel wreaths, tied with a lemniscate (ribbon).

In 1840, the earlier issues depicted her as “Victoria Queen” on the Obverse and East India Company symbols/emblem on the Reverse.


The Obverse of a One Rupee East India Company Silver Coin depicting Queen Victoria facing left, issued in 1840. 



The Reverse of a One Rupee East India Company Silver Coin depicting Queen Victoria shows "EAST INDIA COMPANY. 1840" (on the outer periphery)

The languages used on these coins were English and Persian/English.

Interestingly the British mint masters were not familiar with the dots being used in Persian alphabets. Often there were missing dots on coins, which has added considerable value to these coins present day for collectors for these error coins.

Also the East India laurel wreath bears a lemniscate (ribbon) in the shape of an infinity symbol, in the hope that the EIC colonial rule will last forever in perpetuity.

In 1862, the Regal Coinage was introduced. Now the Coins bore the image of the Queen on one face and abstract designs of vines etc. on the other. These coins bore the inscription – “QUEEN VICTORIA”.
The Silver Coins were of Ten rupees, Five rupees, One rupee, two Annas and Gold 1 Mohur Coin, while Copper Coins consisted of Half Anna, 1/12 Anna and ½ Pice.


In 1876, she was declared Empress by an act of British Parliament.

Later coins bear the inscription “VICTORIA EMPRESS”.

The language used on all these coins is English Only.

The Obverse of a Half Anna Regal issue from 1862, has Queen Victoria facing left.
 The Reverse of the Half Anna Regal issue from 1862, has an intricate design on its outer periphery.



The Obverse of a Copper One Quarter Anna Coin issued in 1883 has the words "VICTORIA EMPRESS" (on the outer periphery).



The Reverse of the Copper One Quarter Anna Coin issued in 1883 has an intricate design on its outer periphery.



The Obverse of a Silver One Rupee Coin issued in 1882 has a crowned effigy of "EMPRESS VICTORIA" facing left.


The Reverse of the Silver One Rupee Coin issued in 1882 shows an intricate floral design of lotuses on the outer periphery.


The Obverse of a Silver Two Annas Coin issued in 1890, has an image of Empress Victoria facing left.


The Reverse of the Silver Two Annas Coin issued in 1890, has an intricate floral design of lotuses on the outer periphery.

King Edward VII:

Edward VII’s coins are distinct as the head is uncrowned.

This mix-up happened because although he was declared King on Victoria’s death on 22.01.1901, his coronation was not held until 09.08.1902. As such he could not be shown to be wearing crown till his formal coronation. The practice of showing him without the crown continued till the end of his reign.

During his reign, the following denominations were issued:

Silver – One Rupee, Half Rupee, Quarter Rupee and Two Annas.
Copper – Quarter Anna, Half Pice and 1/12 Anna.

In 1906, bronze replaced copper for the lowest three denominations.



The Obverse of a Bronze One Quarter Anna India Coin issued in 1906 shows the effigy of King & Emperor Edward VII facing right.


The Reverse of the Bronze One Quarter Anna India Coin issued in 1906 has a floral design on the outer periphery. The language used on this coin is only English.

In 1907, a cupro-nickel 1 anna coin was introduced.



The Obverse of a cupro-nickel One Quarter Anna India Coin issued in 1910 shows the effigy of King & Emperor Edward VII facing right.

 The language used on this coin is only English.


The Reverse of the Cupro-nickel One Quarter Anna India Coin issued in 1910 has a floral design on the outer periphery. The language used on this coin is only English.


The Obverse of a Silver One Rupee Coin showing an effigy of Edward VII, King & Emperor facing right

Two coins are shown below - one minted at the Bombay Mint and the other at the Calcutta Mint:



The Reverse of this One Rupee Silver Coin minted in 1907, with languages in English and Persian bears a dot mint mark shown as under indicating that it has been minted at the Bombay Mint:



The vine design on the right hand side bears a "." (dot mint mark) of the Bombay Mint.


The Reverse this One Rupee Silver Coin minted in 1903with languages in English and Persian bears no mint mark indicating that it has been minted at the Calcutta Mint.

King George V (1910-1936):

Coins issued during his reign included

Silver Coins – Fifteen Rupees, One Rupee, Half Rupee, Quarter Rupee and Two Annas.
Copper Coins: Four Annas, Two annas, One Anna, ¼ Anna (One Pice), Half Pice and 1/12 Anna (One Pie).

The languages used on these coins are English and Persian.


George V King & Emperor Silver One Rupee Coin minted in 1913 at the Bombay Mint. Notice the "." (Dot mint mark of the Bombay Mint) below the lotus at the bottom.


The Dot Mint Mark of the Bombay Mint is displayed in the above image.


George V King & Emperor Silver One Rupee Coin minted in 1917 at the Bombay Mint. Notice that the Mint Mark has shifted upwards here, indicating that this is an error coin.



George V King & Emperor Silver One Rupee Coin minted in 1918 at the Calcutta Mint. Notice that there is no Mint Mark on this coin.



George V King & Emperor Silver Half Rupee Coin minted in 1933 at the Calcutta Mint.

George V King & Emperor Silver 1/4 (Quarter) Rupee Coin minted in 1926 at the Calcutta Mint

Interestingly, this Silver Quarter Anna Coin featured on a TV Programme on Star News titled "Chal Basi Chavanni" (when the 25 Paise coin was demonetised in June 2011). 

Pig Coins:
In 1911, on several denominations the King was shown wearing a robe with a small elephant on it. Unfortunately, the trunk of the elephant appeared to be like the snout of a pig and its legs were depicted as short due to space constraints on the coin surface. The overall appearance was that of a pig which would have been offensive to the sensibilities of some religions. These coins are termed the “Pig Coins” and withheld from circulation and reissued with a proper elephant design.


The Obverse of this  One Quarter Anna India Coin minted in 1934 at the Calcutta Mint bears an effigy of King George V wearing his favourite regal robe with elephants clearly visible on the lapel.



The Reverse of this One Quarter Anna India Coin minted in 1934 bears a floral design on its periphery.

In 1918 and 1919, cupro-nickel 2, 4, and 8 annas were introduced.

In 1921, the 4 and 8 anna coins ceased to be minted and did not replace their silver equivalents.

George VI:

Coins were issued in his name only in 1938 after his coronation in 1936.

The Coin denominations issued during his period were –

Silver – One Rupee, Half Rupee and Quarter rupee (English and Persian were the languages used).



The Obverse of a A George VI Silver One Rupee Coin minted in 1940, minted at the Bombay Mint with only English used as a language.


The Reverse of a George VI Silver Rupee minted at Bombay in 1940 bears the "dot" Mint Mark of the Bombay Mint towards the lower periphery.


The Reverse of a George VI Silver Half Rupee minted at Bombay in 1940 bears the "dot" Mint Mark of the Bombay Mint towards the lower periphery.



The Reverse of a George VI Quaternary Silver Half Rupee (50% Silver) minted at Lahore Mint in 1944 bears the "L" Mint Mark of the Lahore Mint towards the lower periphery.




Copper/Bronze – 1 pice (three versions of the crown – round crown, high crown and flat crown and a hole in the middle – this coin was used as a “washer” and is still found in very old tool-kits discovered in attics and stores), Half Pice, Two Annas, One Anna, Half Anna, Quarter anna and 1/12 Anna.


A George VI Bronze One Pice Coin minted in 1944 at the Lahore Mint ("L" Mint Mark), with three languages - English, Hindi and Persian. 


George VI Copper One Quarter Anna Coin minted in 1941, with only English used as a language.



A George VI Copper Half Pice Coin minted in 1940, with only English used as a language.

In the early 1940s due to the outbreak of World War II, several changes were implemented:

The price of Silver went up during World War II which started in 1939.

Due to hoarding of silver coins for their precious metal value as a hedge against war-induced pricing risks, the metallic composition of silver coins was reduced from 91.7% to 50% silver, 50% Copper, Zinc and Cadmium (Quaternary Silver)

The silver coins now looked as if two coins were pasted together into one and are easily identifiable.

Nevertheless, on account of some overlaps, a few quarter rupee coins were minted in 0.917 silver in 1940.


The Reverse of a George VI Silver Quarter Rupee minted in 1940, which has been minted with a 0.917 Silver at the Bombay Mint, on account of an erroneous overlap.



The Reverse of a George VI Silver Half Rupee minted in 1940, which has been minted with a 0.917 Silver at the Bombay Mint, on account of an erroneous overlap.
The 1/12 anna and ½ pice ceased to be minted, while the ¼ anna was changed to a bronze, holed coin.

Cupro-nickel and nickel-brass ½ anna coins were introduced, while nickel-brass was used to produce a few 1 and 2 anna coins.



George VI Cupro-Nickel One Anna Coin minted in 1942with four languages other than English .



George VI Nickel-Brass Two Annas Coin minted in 1942with four languages other than English .

A George VI Cupro-nickel Half Anna Coin minted in 1944 with four languages other than English .



A twelve-sided, George VI Nickel-Brass One Anna Coin minted in 1944, with four languages other than English .

In 1946 and 1947 the last of the Regal issues were cupronickel ¼, ½ and 1 rupee pieces.


 A George VI Two Anna Coin minted in 1947, with four languages other than English was the last of the Regal issues put into circulation.
  A George VI Half Anna Coin minted in 1946, with four languages other than English.



George VI Quarter Rupee Coin minted in 1946, with two languages other than English




George VI Quarter Rupee Coin minted in 1947, with two languages other than English was the last of the Regal issues put into circulation.


  A George VI Half Rupee Coin minted in 1947, with two languages other than English was the last of the Regal issues put into circulation.
 A George VI One Rupee Coin minted in 1947, with two languages other than English was the last of the Regal issues put into circulation.

As the dies for minting British Coins were sent by ship to India and the Independent India pre-decimal series commenced only in 1950, Some coins were minted with the date of issue as 1948 (i.e. after India gained Independence) and are much sought after as they bear the image of the King.

George VI Copper Half Pice Coin minted in 1947, with English and two other languages used was the last of the British India Regal issues.

British India Coinage had now passed into history.

The British India Silver Rupee found popular usage in many foreign countries:

Over time, the British Indian Rupee  replaced the Danish Indian Rupee (in 1845), the French Indian Rupee (in 1954) and the Portuguese Indian Escudo (in 1961).

In East Africa (Somalia in the North to Natal in the South), Arabia and Mesopotamia the Rupee and its subsidiary coinage was popular at various times.

In Mozambique, the British Indian Rupees were overstamped, while in Kenya, the British East Africa Company minted the rupee and its fractions for circulation.

The British India Rupee was also the preferred currency in several countries like – Aden, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the Trucial States, Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda, Seychelles and Mauritius et al.

With the partition of India, the Pakistani Rupee came into existence, initially using Indian Coins and Banknotes  overstamped with “Pakistan”.

Gold Sovereigns:

After the First War of Indian Independence the British government (Crown) took direct control of British India.

After 1851 Gold Sovereigns minted by Sydney and New South Wales branches of the Royal Mint, attempted to make the gold sovereign as the principal “imperial Coin”. These coins were received by the Treasuries in Bombay and Calcutta, but these Sovereigns never left the vaults as pan-India the Silver Rupee was the preferred unit of payment.

In 1918, the Bombay Mint was declared to be a branch of the Royal Mint, London and was authorised to mint Gold Sovereigns and 15 Rupee coins identical in size to the Sovereigns as an emergency measure due to the outbreak of First World War.


The Obverse of a Gold Sovereign minted in 1930 by the South African Mint at Pretoria shows George V facing left. The inscriptions are - "GEORGIVS V. D.G. BRITT. OMN, REX. F.D. IND. IMP" (meaning "George V, King of all Britain, Defender of the Faith,  Emperor of India").



The Reverse of the Gold Sovereign minted in 1930 by the South African Mint at Pretoria shows St. George fighting the dragon. On the mound below him is the inscription "SA" (standing for South Africa).


In 2013, when the British Premier David Cameron came to India he authorised MMTC-PAMP (India) to mint the British Sovereign which is minted every year since then.






In 2014, MMTC-PAMP were authorised to mint the British Half Sovereign for the first time ever outside the United Kingdom. This Half-Sovereign was minted only in this year.

















Links:

"Tales of the Earth - Dinosauria" Coin Series, UK issues:


"The Queen's Beasts" Coin Series, UK issues:
Links to some other interesting posts from the British Isles and British Overseas Territories/Dependencies:
Central Bank of Ireland issues:

1) Jonathan Swift: 350th Birth Anniversary 15 Euro Silver Proof coin features his most famous work "Gulliver's Travels" : Coin issued on 30.11.2017

2) Ireland: Women's right to Vote - 100th Year Anniversary : A Silver 15 Euro Proof Collector Coin issued by the Central Bank of Ireland on 27.11.2018

3) Irish Myths & Legends: 1) The Children of Lir;2) Cu Chulain; 3) The Omniscient Salmon of Knowledge; 4) Werewolves of Ossory; 5) The Brown Bull of Cooley and Deirdre of the Sorrows: An Annual Mint Set from the Central Bank of Ireland, recreates/celebrates Irish Folk Tales (Issue date: 30.04.2018)

4) Centenary of the "First Trans-Atlantic Aviation", Ireland: A 15 Euro Silver Proof Coin issued by the central Bank of Ireland and minted by the Royal Dutch Mint: Coin issue date: 10.07.2019

Northern Ireland Bank issues:

1) Northern Ireland Polymer Bank Issues: Danske Bank (10 Pounds Polymer Banknotes), Bank of Ireland (5 & 10 Pound Polymer Banknotes) to go into circulation in 2020/21




Inspirations from Scottish History (Clydesdale Bank Banknotes): 

1) The Legend of King Bruce & the Spider on Banknotes
  
2) Commemorating Sir William Arrol and his creation the Forth Rail Bridge by issues of Britain's first ever 5 Pound Polymer Banknote

Banknotes from Royal Bank of Scotland:



British Crown Dependencies/Overseas Territories:

1) Specimen Banknotes from the States of Jersey

2) Coinage and Currency from the States of Jersey

3) Currency & Coinage of the Bailiwick of Guernsey

4) Currency & Coinage of Gibraltar : An Overseas Territory of Great Britain

5) Coinage of Gibraltar: (A British Overseas Territory): An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by the Tower Mint, UK in 2010
  
6) The Isle of Man: An Uncirculated Decimal Coin Collection Set minted by Pobjoy Mint, UK in 2015

7) The Centenary of the ill-fated Titanic (15.04.1912 - 15.04.2012): An Alderney Five Pound Coin Commemorating the Maritime Legend

8) "Man of Steel": A Superman Movie: A set of stamps brought out in 2013 by Jersey post, the States of Jersey, commemorating Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill who played Superman in the Movie 

9) Coins & Currency of Bermuda


11) St. Helena & Ascension Islands: An Uncirculated Coin Set from 2003 

12) The Legend of the "HMAV Bounty" is interwoven with the heritage of the Pitcairn Islands: An uncirculated coin set from Pitcairn Islands in 2009 depicting the icons/relics of the Bounty minted by the New Zealand Mint 

13) Currency of the Falkland Islands: A British Overseas Territory (BOT) Pounds & Pence

14) Falkland Islands Penguins: 50 Pence Coin Series: The first Coin in the Series of four coins: the Rock-Hopper Penguin 


15) Falkland Islands Penguins: 50 Pence Coin Series: The Gentoo Penguin:Second Coin in the series of four coins issued on 20.06.2017 

19) The Isle of Man: A British Crown Dependency (BCD) Coinage: A newly introduced Collector's circulation Currency Coinage Collector's set received from the Tower Mint, London, UK issued in April 2017

20) Pegasus: British Virgin Islands: A gold Bullion Coin of $100 issued by Pobjoy Mint on belalf of British Virgin Islands in July 2018

21) "The Hydra": British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT): A Silver Double Crown (4 Pounds), 2 Oz High Relief Coin with Antique Finish: Third Coin in the Series titled "Mythical Creatures" issued by Pobjoy Mint, UK on behalf of BIOT on 07.08.2018

22) "Medusa The Gorgon": British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT): A Silver Double Crown (4 Pounds), 2 Oz High relief Coin with antique Finish: Fourth Coin in the series titled "Mythical Creatures" issued by Pobjoy Mint UK on behalf of BIOT in 09/2018


25) South Atlantic Fauna Coins from Ascension Island and South Georgia and Sandwich Islands, British Overseas Territories (BOT): (Part II): A 1 Pound Titanium Coin & a 1 Pound Uncirculated Coin variant, feature the Queen Triggerfish, issued on behalf of Ascension Island (2019) minted by the Pobjoy Mint, UK

26) Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer: South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands: A 2 Pounds Coin minted by Pobjoy Mint, UK, brought out on 26.02.2019 on behalf of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands in two variants - Silver and Cupro-nickel

27) Concorde, a Stamp set from Gibraltar, A British Overseas Territory (BOT): 50th Anniversary of the first Supersonic Passenger Carrying Airplane, jointly built by France and Great Britain: Stamp set issue date:  20.04.2019

28) Tristan da Cunha (BOT): A Wedgwood "Three Graces" Jasperware 5 Pound Coin: minted in 2018

29) 75th Anniversary of D-Day Landings: (The Battle of Normandy): i) A Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau Stamp set of 4 stamps issued on 08.03.2019: ii) A Limited edition D-Day joint Commemorative issue by British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territory - Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man and Gibraltar on 06.06.2019

30) Manannan, the First King of Isle of Man or Mann: A Silver 5 Pounds Coin brought out by the Isle of Man in collaboration with Coin Invest Trust (CIT) and minted by B.H. Mayer's Kunstprageanstalt, Munich

31) 200th Anniversary of John Keats' "Odes to a ....", Alderney Island: A set of six Postage stamps issued by Guernsey Post which brings out stamps on behalf of Alderney Island - 1) Ode on a Grecian Urn,(48p) 2) Ode on Indolence (65p), 3) Ode on Melancholy (66p), 4) Ode to a Nightingale (80p), 5) Ode to Psyche (90p), 6) Ode to Autumn (98 p): Stamp Set issue date: 24.07.2019

32) Isle of Mann: Celebrating the 200th Birth Anniversary of the Birth of Herman Melville, the author of the classic Moby Dick: A six Stamp Set issued on 22.07.2019

33) "Tatty Teddy" - "Me to You" Bears: Isle of Man Post Office is marketing a special edition of 200 Bears dressed as Santa along-with Tatty Teddy's own stamp and special envelope post-marked "21.11.2019"


35) "Video Games" - Great Britain: A set of 8 Postage stamps brought out by the Royal Mail U.K. featuring Elite (1984), Dizzy (1987), Populous (1989), Lemmings (1991), Micro Machines (1991), Sensible Soccer (1992), Wipeout (1995), Worms (1995) and 2 Miniature Sheets on "Tomb Raider - Lara Croft": Date of Stamp set issue : 21.01.2020

36) Royal Mint, United Kingdom (UK): Five new Commemorative Coins to be issued this year (2020) include the: 1) "Bicentenary of the death of King George III", 2) Tokyo Olympics, 3) "Voyage of the Mayflower", 4) "Victory in Europe Day - 75th Anniversary, 5) Agatha Christie's First novel - The Mysterious Affair at Styles":

37) 250th Birth Anniversary of Beethoven: A Commemorative Postage stamp of 1 Pound issued by Guernsey Post, a British Crown Dependency (BCD): Stamp issue date: 21.01.2020

38) Rock Band "Queen", United Kingdom: A new Collector Coin Series titled -"Music Legends": First Coins in the Series minted by the Royal Mint, UK, features the iconic Band on Cupro-nickel (5 Pounds), Silver (1 & 2 Pounds) and Gold (25 & 100 Pounds) Coins: Coins issue date: 20.01.2020

39) "BREXIT" Coins, UK: 50 Pence Commemorative Coins being issued by the Royal Mint, UK: Issue date: 31.01.2020

40) 200th Anniversary of Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom (1820-2020): "Visions of the Universe", which include a combo of eight stamps exhibiting contributions to Astronomy made by the RAS and a 50 Pence Coin depicting a Black Hole, with a special commentary on Prof. Stephen Hawking's contribution to astronomy & a 24-page Prestige Stamp Booklet: Stamp set issue date: 11.02.2020


42) "Britannia", United Kingdom: The Annual Gold and Silver Bullion Proof & Uncirculated Coins Series brought out by the Royal Mail, UK: Date of issue: 10.02.2020



Famous Battles
1) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to St. Helena: (Part I): A One Crown Commemorative coin issued by the Ascension Island (minted by Pobjoy Mint UK) 
2) Bicentenary of the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's Exile to st. Helena: (Part II) 1) A 5 GBP Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK. 2) A"Drie Landen Zilverset" ( ot the "Three Lands Silver set") containing coins issued by the Royal Dutch Mint including coins of Netherlands, Belgium and UK

Gold Coins:
  
1) Gold Sovereigns issued in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 by MMTC-PAMP in India under licence from the Royal Mint, UK, carrying the "I" Mint Mark

2) Gold Half-Sovereigns minted by MMTC-PAMP in India in 2014 under licence from the Royal Mint UK bearing the "I" Mint Mark 

Silver Coins:



British India Coinage:

 1) East India Company Quarter Anna Copper Coin which is one of the first issues under the Coinage Act 1835

2) Victoria Coinage: When she was Queen and afterwards Empress

3) Edward VII: King & Emperor  Coinage

4) George V King Emperor Coinage

5) George VI: The last of the British India Emperors Coinage 

Other British Royalty: 

1) Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Celebrations (1952-2012): A Five Pound Commemorative coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK

2) Commemorating Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953: A Five Pound Coin minted by the Royal Mint UK in 2013, depicting the Imperial State Crown

3) The Royal Coat of Arms of the UK: Great British 2012 Coin Set (Uncirculated) issued by the Royal Mint UK

4) Prince George's Christening Ceremony celebrated with coins issued by the Royal Mint UK in 2013

5) The British Empire:  A Case of Numismatic "Segregation": (Guest Post by Rahul Kumar)

6) 1) The Portrait Collection: Various Portraits of Queen Elizabeth II on Coinage 2) The Fourth & Final Circulating coinage of the Portrait designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and the First Edition of the portrait of the Queen made by Jody Clark

 British Coinage:


2) Transformation of a Five shilling Coin (Crown) into the UK Twenty-five Pence & then the Five Pound Coin

4) The 350th Anniversary of the Guinea: A Two Pound Coin issued by the Royal Mint UK celebrating the milestone


6) The Tower of London Coin Series issued by the Royal Mint, UK: A Four Coin Series covering Four Five Pound Coins featuring - The Raven, The Crown Jewels, The Yeoman Warders and the Ceremony of the Keys (all coins dated 2019)

7) Royal Air Force (RAF), U.K. Centenary (1918-2018):A set of four 2 Pound coins issued by the Royal Mint UK depicting four iconic aircraft which have been inducted by the RAF at various points of time - Super-marine Spitfire, Vulcan, Sea King & Lightning II: Coin set issued in 2018 

8) 50th Anniversary of the first issue of the iconic 7-sided 50 Pence Coins in the variants of Gold, Silver and Brilliant Uncirculated issued by the Royal Mint UK on 24.09.2019

9) Celebrating the 25th James Bond Film -"No Time To Die", with Base Metal, Gold & Silver Coins from the Royal Mint, UK: "007"s most challenging mission": 02.03.2020

 Commemorative British Coinage:

 1) Commemorating the Bicentenary of Charles Dickens: A Two pound coin celebrating his literary contributions during the Victorian Era

 2) Commemorating 50 Years of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - presently called the World Wide Fund for Nature by issue of a Fifty Pence coin by the Royal Mint, UK

3) Coins commemorating London Olympics & Paralympics (2012)


5) Commemorating the 100th Birth anniversary of Christopher Ironside with his " Royal Arms" design on a 50 Pence coin issued by the Royal Mint, UK 

The Brixton Pound:
Links: Postage Stamps: 

12) Owls: A set of 10 Stamps depicting five Owls - Barn Owl (Tyto alba), Little Owl (Athene noctua), Tawny Owl (Strix aluco), Short eared Owl (Asio flammeus) and Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) issued by the Royal Mail Uk on 11.05.2018

13) Reintroduced Species: A set of six stamps issued by the Royal Mail, UK depicting UK's successfully restored wildlife including the Osprey, Eurasian Beaver, Pool Frog, Sand Lizard, Large Blue Butterfly and Stinking Hawk's-beard species on 17.04.2018

14) World Post Day Limited Edition of 500 Commemorative Covers, Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory (BOT): Special Cover issue date:n 09.10.2019

15) Forests, Royal Mail, U.K.: Centenary of the Forestry Commission (1919-2019): A set of six stamps issued by the Royal Mail, UK depicting six well-known forests across the U.K. - i) Glen Affric Inverness-shire, Scotland; ii) Westonbirt Gloucestershire, England; iii) Sherwood Forest; iv) Coed y Brenin Gwynedd, Wales; v) Glenriff Forest Country Antrim, Northern Ireland; vi) Kielder Forest Northumberland, England: Stamp set issue date:13.08.2019



17) 150th Anniversary (Sesquicentenary) of The Royal Philatelic Society London: A Limited Edition Commemorative Cover (500 Editions) brought outby the Gibraltar Post on 21.10.2019

18) "The Christmas story", Alderney, A British Crown Dependency (BCD): Alderney Post in association with Guernsey Post has issued this set of seven stamps, designs for which have been made through paper-cutting art: Date of issue: 30.10.2019





24) 250th Birth Anniversary of Beethoven: A Commemorative Postage stamp of 1 Pound issued by Guernsey Post, a British Crown Dependency (DCD): Stamp issue date: 21.01.2020

25) "Sealife in the Ramsar Region" managed by Alderney Wildlife Trust, Alderney, a British Crown Dependency (BCD): A set of six stamps issued by the States of Alderney Post for Guernsey Post featuring a Grey Seal Pup (48 Pence), Shore Crab (65 Pence), Garnet (66 Pence), Beadlet Anemone (80 Pence), Ormer (90 Pence) and Cushion Stars (98 Pence)


26) 200th Anniversary of Royal Astronomical Society, United Kingdom (1820-2020): "Visions of the Universe", which include a combo of eight stamps exhibiting contributions to Astronomy made by the RAS and a 50 Pence Coin depicting a Black Hole, with a special commentary on Prof. Stephen Hawking's contribution to Astronomy & a 24-page Prestige Stamp Booklet: Stamp set issue date: 11.02.2020

27) i) A James Bond Mega issue by Royal Mail, UK, celebrating the 25th Bonf Movie "No Time to Die" and presenting all six actors who have acted as James Bond over the years, together with "Q Branch's" path defining gadgets/machines; ii) A combo issue of Royal Mail Stamps and Royal Mint, UK's Gold, Silver and BU Coins



29) The Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland, UK: 700th Anniversary (1320-2020) Commemoration: Four Scottish Definitive Stamps issued by the Royal Mail UK: Date of Stamps issue: 06.04.2020


30) The Romantic Poets, UK: 1) A Combo of 10 Stamps (by Royal Mail UK) and a 5 Pounds Commemorative Coin (by Royal Mint UK), on the 250th Birth Anniversary of William Wordsworth includes the Romantic (Nature) poets - John Clare, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, WilliamBlake, Walter Scott, Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Wordsworth, Mary Robinson, Letetia Elizabeth Landon, John Keats & Lord Byron: Date of stamp issue: 07.04.2020


31) Ancient Postal Routes - Mail Ships, Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency (BCD): A EUROPA set of six stamps brought out by Guernsey Post depicting six Mail Ships that sailed between Guernsey and the United Kingdom: Date of Stamp set issue: 01.04.2020


37) Sherlock Holmes, United Kingdom: A set of six stamps issued by Royal Mail, UK featuring the characters of the modern version of a TV Serial "Sherlock" started in 2010 by the BBC, together with Cupro-nickel & Silver Medals minted by the Royal Mint, UK: Date of Stamp Set issue: 18.08.2020

1 comment:

  1. The language used on the coins is not Persian, it is urdu, which was and is an official language of India. The script is used Nastaliq. Rest of the article was fantastic!

    ReplyDelete