COINS OF INDIA, PAKISTAN, BANGLADESH, NEPAL & BHUTAN
FROM ANCIENT TIMES TO THE PRESENT
BRONZE COINS OF THE
KUSHAN EMPIRE
The
Kushan Empire covered
much what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Northern India from about the first to the third century AD.
They grew wealthy controlling trade centers on the Silk Road and on the
Indus River and incorporated elements of the Greek, Roman, Chinese,
Persian, Indian and other cultures into their lives. Their
coins incorporate Greek designs and often use a corrupted Greek
alphabet in the legends. Kujula Kadphises united a loose confederation
of tribes to form the Kushan Empire in about 30AD. He further
expanded the Empire until his death in 80AD. This bronze
tetradrachm
of Kujula Kadphises features a 
Greek
style diademed head on
the obverse
and Hercules with a club or another Greek deity on the
reverse. The coin grades Good to Fine. We also have
well made bronze Tetradrachms of Kushan king “Soter Megas”.
The
title “Soter Megas” means Great Savior. The coin,
which grades VG to Fine, shows the Greek style diademed bust of the
king on one side, and the king on horseback on the other. The
king thought of himself as being so great, he did not need to put his
actual name on the coin. Until quite recently however,
scholars did not know who really was! It is now believed that
he is Vima Takha who succeeded Kujula Kadphises, ruling from
80AD to
105AD. He expanded his empire into what is now
Pakistan.
Item KUJULA
KUSHAN BRONZE TETRADRACHM, KUJULA KADPHISES
30-80AD G-VG out
Item
SOTER
KUSHAN BRONZE TETRADRACHM, SOTER
MEGAS 80-105AD VG-F
$9.75
SILVER COINS OF THE
HABBARID AMIRS OF SIND
Sind,
located in what is now the south-eastern portion of Pakistan, was
conquered by
the Umayyad empire in 711AD during the reign of Caliph
al-Walid.
The Umayyad conquest was brought about by Sind pirates
attacking Arab vessels and imprisoning Muslim widows and orphans. Sind
became easternmost province of the vast Umayyad Caliphate which
stretched from Spain to India. By the late 9th
Century the Habbarid (Hibari) Dynasty was able assert control over
Sind, giving only nominal allegiance to the Caliph. In 1010AD
the Ghaznavids conquered Sind. The coinage of the Habbarid of
Sind (also known as the Amirs of Sindh) consisted of these small (10 to
11mm) silver Dhammas. The coins feature Arabic inscriptions on both
sides.
Item
SIND-AR SIND SILVER DHAMMA circa
870-1009AD F-VF.
$7.00
Item
SIND-ARx10 10 of the above SIND SILVER DHAMMAS
circa 870-1009AD F-VF.
$39.50
MEDIEVAL HORSE
COIN OF PAKISTAN
This
billon (highly debased silver) jital was struck by Nasir al din
Mohammed
who ruled Sind from 1249 to 1260AD. Sind is located in
south-eastern
Pakistan. Sind was once the center of the ancient Indus Valley
civilizations.
At the time the coin was struck, it was on the edges of competing
empires,
so was able to re-establish its own independence.
The coin
is highly unusual for the period in that it has a clear pictorial
design featuring a horse. Some theorize that this signifies the
resurgence in the trade of war horses that had thrived in the
area in earlier years before the invasion of Ghenghiz Khan.
Item
IN-SIND-HORSE SIND HORSE
JITAL 1249-60AD (A1819) VF
$6.00
BRASS
TANKA OF DELHI SULTAN MUHAMMAD III
Muhammad
III bin Tughluq ruled much of India from 1325 to
1351AD. He was a scholar, calligrapher and an
innovative monarch. Unfortunately he did not always
consider the consequences of his innovations. Vast amounts of his
treasury was spent trying to expand and consolidate his
realm. This only encouraged numerous revolts throughout his
realm. He forcibly moved his entire capital and all its inhabitants
from Delhi to a more central location in the Deccan of central
India. Unfortunately there was insufficient water
to support the population, and the capital was returned to Delhi two
years later, with great suffering and loss of life of the
citizens. About 1330AD he tried to replace the silver Tanka
with this brass Tanka, in an effort to boost his
treasury. The brass Tanka has beautiful calligraphy
on both sides, with legends to encourage its citizens to accept the
debased currency. His unhappy citizens, forced to accept this token
coinage, soon started to counterfeit them in vast numbers.
Foreign traders would not accept the brass Tankas Within a
few years he was forced to return to the silver Tanka,
redeeming both real and fake brass Tankas at a great cost to
his treasury. It is reported that a “mountain” of these brass
Tankas remained lying outside the sultanate’s treasuries for over a
century. The coins grade Fine to Very Fine with some green
patina.
Item IN-AE-TANK
INDIA, MUHAMMAD III 1325-51AD BRASS TANKA,
F-VF $9.75
OLD
COIN FROM KASHMIR
This
copper 1 Punchashi (also called a Kaserah) was struck by Fath Shah, who
was took the throne of Kashmir in 1486. He repeatedly lost and regained
the throne over the years through seemingly endless battles and palace
intrigues, until he died in 1520. He paid his mercenaries by
allowing them to plunder his capital. Today Kashmir
is still a strife-filled land. Parts of it are controlled by
Pakistan, India and China, who have repeatedly gone to war to try to
enforce their claims.
Item KASHMIR
KASHMIR COPPER PUNCHASHI FATH SHAH 1486-1520AD
FINE $8.00
RARE DUTCH INDIA
DUIT DEPICTS KALI
The
Dutch took Negapatnam, a port city in south-east India, from the
Portuguese in 1658. It served as the capital of the Dutch
East India Companies operations in southeast India from 1690 until it
was conquered by the British in 1784. In 1695 the Dutch mint in
Negapatnam struck these crude, undated, copper Duits for use in
southeast India
and Ceylon. One side has a crude depiction of the Goddess
Kali, the Goddess of death, destruction and disease. The
other side has the name of the city in Tamil. The coin is
about 13mm to 14mm in diameter. Coins of Dutch India are
difficult to find.
Item IN-DUTCH-26
DUTCH INDIA - NEGAPATNAM 1 DUIT (1795) KM26
FINE-Crude
$30.00
TINY
GOLD COIN FROM MYSORE
This tiny gold Fannam was issued by Tipu Sultan who ruled the Indian
state of Mysore from 1782 to 1799. Known as the "Tiger of
Mysore", he strongly opposed British attempts to dominate India.
He was one of the first rulers to recognize the independence
of
the United States. He was also one of the first to
develop
effective military rockets, which he used successfully against
the
British. The iron-cased Mysorian rockets had a range of up to
about 2km. (1 mile). After a number of victories
against
the British, Tipu Sultan suffered his first major defeat in 1789 at the
hands of British General Charles Cornwallis. That is the same
General Cornwallis that surrendered to the United States in 1781, which
effectively granted the United States its independence. In
1799
the British again attacked Mysore. Tipu Sultan was killed
while
defending his capital of Seringapatam. After his death, the
British captured a large number of the Mysorian rockets. They refined
and improved the rocket technology, which they used in the Napoleonic
Wars and against the United States in the attack on Fort McHenry in the
War of 1812. (Isn't it interesting how historic events
entangle
themselves?) The tiny gold coin was struck at the Patan mint.
It is approximately 7mm in diameter
and weighs about .35 grams, making it one of the smallest coins in the
world.
Item IN-MYS-128
MYSORE GOLD FANNAM, TIPU SULTAN, 1782-1799
KM128 VF-XF $47.50
COINS OF THE INDIAN
PRINCELY STATES
Though the British controlled most of India prior to its
independence in 1947, many of the Indian states retained their right to
issue coins. Most coins could only be used within the state
they
were issued and there was little standardization of the coins or
denominations issued from state to state. The result was a bewildering
array of coins, many of which have limited mintages. We have assembled
a collection of coins from eight different Indian native states. The
latest group of sets include a square Paisa from Bahawalpur from the
1920's, 1/4 Anna of Gwalior that pictures the Maharajah,
Hyderabad 2 Pai from the 1940's that was minted with a center
hole, 1 Paisa from Jodhpur struck during World War
II,
an eight-sided 1 Anna from Mewar minted in 1943, a thick Dokdo from
Nawanagar that was struck from about 1570 to 1894 with virtually no
change in the design, a tiny Amman Cash from Pudukkottai picturing the
Goddess Brihadamba and a tiny 1 Cash coin from Travencore that was
issued from 1928 to 1949. All eight coins are copper or
bronze. Coins grade from Very Good to
Uncirculated.
An identification guide is included with each set. These
collections are very popular. Because of the difficulty in obtaining
coins of the Indian States, we sometimes have to vary the exact coins
included in the set.
Item
BK-IN-STATECOL8 COLLECTION OF 8
DIFFERENT
INDIAN NATIVE STATE COINS out
HIGH-GRADE
1/12 ANNA OF EMPEROR GEORGE VI
This 1939 bronze 1/12 Anna from the Calcutta Mint is Uncirculated,
though it does show some tarnish or spotting that has developed over
the past 70 years or so. Pictured on the obverse of the
17.5mm coin is George VI, King of Great Britain and Emperor of India.
It is an unusual denomination from the time when Great
Britain ruled India.
Item
IN-526 BRITISH INDIA 1/12 ANNA 1939 UNC-TONED
or SPOTTED
$3.00
MODERN INDIAN COIN SET
INCLUDES
ODD SHAPES
This set of eleven recent coins of India includes 6
odd-shaped coins. Included is the thick 2000 5
Rupee with an unusual security edge to discourage
counterfeiting. The 11-sided 2002 2 Rupee features a map of
India. The 2001 1 Rupee is struck in stainless
steel. The 1999 50 Paisa features the Parliament building and
a map of India. A rhinoceros is featured on the 1994 25
paise. The aluminum 1988 20 Paisa coin is a siven sided coin. The 1988
10 paisa is also struck in stainless steel. The square 5
Paisa is dated 1993. The 1971 3 Paisa coin is a six
sided coin. The 1976 2 Paisa has scallopped edges. The 1972 1
Paisa is square. Because of their low purchasing power and
the high cost of production, the lower four denominations are no longer
issued and are increasingly difficult to get. The reverse
of the coins features three lions from the ancient Pillar of Asoka, a
sandstone pillar from the third century BC. It is
an interesting set that includes a variety of unusual shapes.
Item
S-IN-11CSET INDIA 11 COIN SET 1 Paisa - 5
Rupees
1971-2002 UNC. $7.00
INDIA
CELEBRATES THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES
India
celebrated its hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi
with these commemorative 2 and 5 Rupee coins. One side
features
the logo of the Games, the other features the features three lions from
the Pillar of Asoka. The games drew 6,081 athletes from 71
Commonwealth nations and dependencies competing in 272 events, making
it the largest Commonwealth Games ever. It was also the most
expensive costing over $2 billion, substantially above its original
budget of $307 million. Despite apprehension in the weeks
leading
up to the game due slow pace in completing the facilities the Games
were well received and closed on a positive note
Item
IN-GAMES2 INDIA COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2
& 5 RUPEES, 2010
UNC. $6.00
TIGERS ON INDIA BANK
COMMEMORATIVES
A
tiger standing in front of a palm tree are featured on each of these
four coins commemorating the "Platinum Jubilee" (75th anniversary) of
the Reserve Bank of India. The design is the seal of the bank, which
was based on the gold Mohur coin of the British East India
Company. The bank was founded in 1935 as a privately held
institution that acted as the central bank for India. It was
also the central bank for Burma until 1947.
Following India's independence, it was nationalized in 1949 and is now
held by the Indian government. It is the main monetary
authority in India, with responsibility for all currency issues,
management of foreign exchange, credit and interest rates. It
is the supervisor and lender of last resort of all Indian commercial
banks. Despite these vast powers, the coins it issued to
commemorate itself are poorly struck with weak or missing design
elements. It makes one wonder just how effective the Bank really is.
The four coin set includes the bi-metallic 10 Rupees, nickel-brass 5
Rupees, stainless steel 2 and 1 Rupees dated 2010. The 3 lions from the
ancient Pillar of Ashoka is on the obverse. Together the
coins catalog for $16.00, however our price is much less.
Item
IN-BANK INDIA 1, 2, 5 & 10 RUPEES
2010 RESERVE BANK OF INDIA KM385-388
UNC-weakly struck $7.50
NEW
2011 COINS FROM INDIA
In 2010 India adopted a new sign for the Rupee with
great fanfare. New coins bearing this symbol were launched in
2011. This 5 coin set includes the first coins bearing the
new Indian Rupee Symbol. The designs are simple.
One side has the denomination, the other pictures the three lions from
the Pillar of Ashoka. The set includes the 50 Paise, 1, 2, 5
Rupee and bi-metallic 10 Rupee. All five coins are dated 2011
and are Uncirculated.
Item
IN-SET2011 INDIA 2011 5 COIN SET 50 PAISA -
10 RUPEES,
UNC. $8.50
INDIA CELEBRATES
100th ANNIVERSARY OF CIVIL AVIATION
India
issued this 23mm nickel-brass 5 Rupee coin in 1911 to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of Civil Aviation in India. The first
flight, flown by French pilot Henri Pequet, carried some 6500
airmail letters a
distance of about 13km (8 miles) from Allahabad to Naini on February
18, 1911. It was one of the first times letters had ever been
delivered by airplane in the world. India is now one of the
largest civil aviation markets in the world, with hundreds of flights
throught the country. The coin features a modern jet on one
side and the Pillar of Ashoka on the other.
Item
IN-AVIATION INDIA 5 RUPEES 2011 100th
ANNIVERSARY OF CIVIL AVIATION, KM397 UNC.
$3.50
60 YEARS OF
INDIA'S PARLIAMENT
India
issued two circulating commemorative coins to honor the 60th
anniversary of the first sitting of the Parliament of India:
a 27mm bimetallic 10 Rupees, and a 23mm nickel-brass 5
Rupees. Both 2012 dated coins have similar designs
featuring Parliament House on one side and the Lion capitol of
the Pillar of Ashoka on the other. Both coins are Uncirculated, though
may be a bit weakly struck.
Item
IN-PARLM INDIA 5 RUPEES & 10 RUPEES,
2012 60th ANNIVERSARY OF PARLIAMENT, UNC.
$6.00
FIRST COINS OF BHUTAN
- THE
SILVER AND COPPER DEB RUPEES
The tiny
Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is called the “Dragon
Kingdom”. It was established as a priestly monarchy in
1652. For many years it used coins from nearby the nearby
Indian state of Cooch Behar. It started to strike its own
coins about 1790, after the British East India Company closed the Cooch
Behar mint. The undated coins, denominated as Deb (1/2)
Rupees, were originally good silver; however by about 1840 the coins
became heavily alloyed with copper. The copper Deb Rupees
continued to be struck until about 1910. The Deb Rupee was the only
denomination struck by Bhutan until the 20th century. Though the basic
design remained unchanged, there are numerous varieties, making a
fascinating collecting area.
Item BT-AR
BHUTAN SILVER DEB (1/2) RUPEE circa 1790-1840 VF $18.50
Item BT-ARx5
5 of the above BHUTAN SILVER 1/2 RUPEE COINS VF
$75.00
Item BT-AE
BHUTAN COPPER DEB (1/2) RUPEE circa 1835-1910
VF
$5.00
Item BT-AEx10
10 of the above BHUTAN COPPER 1/2 RUPEE COINS VF
$40.00
FOR RELATED COINS OF THIS AREA PLEASE SEE:
AFGHANISTAN
COIN & CURRENCY PAGE
ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS COIN SET
LAST OF THE INDO-GREEK KINGS
SRI LANKA COIN SET
INCLUDES NEW ISSUES & BIMETAL
Need help to date
coins: Visit the Creounity Time Machine
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YOU WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
Sind,
located in what is now the south-eastern portion of Pakistan, was
conquered by
the Umayyad empire in 711AD during the reign of Caliph
al-Walid.
The Umayyad conquest was brought about by Sind pirates
attacking Arab vessels and imprisoning Muslim widows and orphans. Sind
became easternmost province of the vast Umayyad Caliphate which
stretched from Spain to India. By the late 9th
Century the Habbarid (Hibari) Dynasty was able assert control over
Sind, giving only nominal allegiance to the Caliph. In 1010AD
the Ghaznavids conquered Sind. The coinage of the Habbarid of
Sind (also known as the Amirs of Sindh) consisted of these small (10 to
11mm) silver Dhammas. The coins feature Arabic inscriptions on both
sides.
The
Dutch took Negapatnam, a port city in south-east India, from the
Portuguese in 1658. It served as the capital of the Dutch
East India Companies operations in southeast India from 1690 until it
was conquered by the British in 1784. In 1695 the Dutch mint in
Negapatnam struck these crude, undated, copper Duits for use in
southeast India
and Ceylon. One side has a crude depiction of the Goddess
Kali, the Goddess of death, destruction and disease. The
other side has the name of the city in Tamil. The coin is
about 13mm to 14mm in diameter. Coins of Dutch India are
difficult to find.
This tiny gold Fannam was issued by Tipu Sultan who ruled the Indian
state of Mysore from 1782 to 1799. Known as the "Tiger of
Mysore", he strongly opposed British attempts to dominate India.
He was one of the first rulers to recognize the independence
of
the United States. He was also one of the first to
develop
effective military rockets, which he used successfully against
the
British. The iron-cased Mysorian rockets had a range of up to
about 2km. (1 mile). After a number of victories
against
the British, Tipu Sultan suffered his first major defeat in 1789 at the
hands of British General Charles Cornwallis. That is the same
General Cornwallis that surrendered to the United States in 1781, which
effectively granted the United States its independence. In
1799
the British again attacked Mysore. Tipu Sultan was killed
while
defending his capital of Seringapatam. After his death, the
British captured a large number of the Mysorian rockets. They refined
and improved the rocket technology, which they used in the Napoleonic
Wars and against the United States in the attack on Fort McHenry in the
War of 1812. (Isn't it interesting how historic events
entangle
themselves?) The tiny gold coin was struck at the Patan mint.
It is approximately 7mm in diameter
and weighs about .35 grams, making it one of the smallest coins in the
world.
HIGH-GRADE
1/12 ANNA OF EMPEROR GEORGE VI
A
tiger standing in front of a palm tree are featured on each of these
four coins commemorating the "Platinum Jubilee" (75th anniversary) of
the Reserve Bank of India. The design is the seal of the bank, which
was based on the gold Mohur coin of the British East India
Company. The bank was founded in 1935 as a privately held
institution that acted as the central bank for India. It was
also the central bank for Burma until 1947.
Following India's independence, it was nationalized in 1949 and is now
held by the Indian government. It is the main monetary
authority in India, with responsibility for all currency issues,
management of foreign exchange, credit and interest rates. It
is the supervisor and lender of last resort of all Indian commercial
banks. Despite these vast powers, the coins it issued to
commemorate itself are poorly struck with weak or missing design
elements. It makes one wonder just how effective the Bank really is.
The four coin set includes the bi-metallic 10 Rupees, nickel-brass 5
Rupees, stainless steel 2 and 1 Rupees dated 2010. The 3 lions from the
ancient Pillar of Ashoka is on the obverse. Together the
coins catalog for $16.00, however our price is much less.
India
issued this 23mm nickel-brass 5 Rupee coin in 1911 to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of Civil Aviation in India. The first
flight, flown by French pilot Henri Pequet, carried some 6500
airmail letters a
distance of about 13km (8 miles) from Allahabad to Naini on February
18, 1911. It was one of the first times letters had ever been
delivered by airplane in the world. India is now one of the
largest civil aviation markets in the world, with hundreds of flights
throught the country. The coin features a modern jet on one
side and the Pillar of Ashoka on the other. 
India
issued two circulating commemorative coins to honor the 60th
anniversary of the first sitting of the Parliament of India:
a 27mm bimetallic 10 Rupees, and a 23mm nickel-brass 5
Rupees. Both 2012 dated coins have similar designs
featuring Parliament House on one side and the Lion capitol of
the Pillar of Ashoka on the other. Both coins are Uncirculated, though
may be a bit weakly struck.