1840 East India Rupee, need more info

[nwcs]

I bought this coin way back in 1989 when I was in my teens. I had actually purchased a regular rupee but they sent me this one instead and I kept it. But I always wondered why it has the look it has and the surface abberations have always sparked my curiosity. Can anyone tell me if this coin is authentic or not or tell me a little about it? Many thanks!

 

Neil

[nwcs]

Here is the reverse...

[a2labmom]

I just checked my 19th century Krause and it appears as though the coin is authentic. There was a 1 Rupee coin issued by the East India Company (British India) in 1840. It came out of 3 different mints, Calcutta, Bombay or Madras. The differences are mainly on the reverse and the size of the coin.

Calcutta:

31.1 mm, 31.3 mm or 31.5 mm

rev has 19 berries

Bombay:

31.6 mm - 31.8 mm

rev has 19 or 35 berries

Madras:

31.9 mm - 32.2 mm

rev has 19, 20 or 35 berries

 

This is just a real brief synopsis of what's in the Krause.

 

[nwcs]

Thanks for the info. I think the surface of the obverse has always made me a bit worried. Even way back when. Guess I need to start counting berries.

 

Neil

[1jester]

NWCS, are you sure the coin is authentic? I too would be worried by what appears to be very porous surfaces on the obverse. It looks like a bunch of bubbles. And, there is virtually no wear at all on the coin. It looks almost too perfect. If it's authentic, it would be quite a find. But I'm far from convinced it's authentic. Have you weighed it? And checked its diameter? What does the silver look like, ie color, texture, and tone? Does it look like any other silver coins you have, or is it a sort of more bluish color? Many fakes have this blue-gray tone to them and are a bit underweight, and often a tiny bit smaller in diameter. If you have another Rupee to check it against, it would be easier to compare. Also check the reeding: is it uniform and even? Check it against another Rupee to see if the reeding matches up.

 

Good luck!

[truthteller]

I agree with Jester. Cast copy. Bubbles in the field are trademark casting. However, the coin is still worth something.

 

TRUTH