Coin, 1/2 Rupee Bombay Presidency, India, 1800-1824
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1800-1824 AD
1/2 Rupee, Issued by Bombay Presidency, India, 1800 - 1824 Surat 46 San in the name of Shah Alam Minted by Bombay Mint (with mint name Surat but Bombay privy mark Pridmore type 6) Note: In this issue the dies were larger than the coin flans with the result that only part of the obverse and reverse legends are found on any coin
Obverse: Legend in Persian script, much off flan (full legend translation: The auspicious coin of the Victorious Emperor Shah Alam). Reverse: Julus formula legend in Persian script, much off flan (full legend translation: Struck at Surat in the 46th year of his reign of tranquil prosperity). Edge: Plain.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 2
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
A debasement of the silver alloy at the Surat mint in about 1788 saw the mint at Bombay produce no silver for about ten years. Then in 1800 a group of merchants requested a coinage of rupees at Bombay to save time and reduce risk.
It was decided to fulfill this request with Bombay producing coins almost identicle to those from Surat (including the mint name Surat though this was in most cases off the flan) but with small identification marks, in this case a star replacing the fourth dot of decoration after the word Shah.
On 27 January 1801 regulations were put in place for the Bombay mint which abandoned the old Bombay rupee standard in favour of the Surat standard. Rupees of this type were struck at Bombay until 1825 (the Surat mint was closed in 1815 but its name retained at Bombay)
Physical characteristics
- Material
- Silver
- Dimensions
- Overall Dimensions: 16 mm (Outside Diameter), 5.78 g (Weight)
Technical characteristics
- Maker recorded
- Bombay (Mint)
- Place recorded
- India
- Series recorded
- British India
- Denomination recorded
- 1/2 Rupee
Identification
- Source note
- Transcribed from the Museums Victoria, Melbourne collection record for this single object (sentences kept verbatim apart from removed sale or rarity wording); how far it represents a wider collectible type has not been independently verified.
- Candidate id
- mv-1368029
- Museum object name
- Coin - 1/2 Rupee, Bombay Presidency, India, 1800-1824
- Holding institution
- Museums Victoria, Melbourne
- Museum object number
- NU 46232
- Published references
- Pridmore 271 KM#211.2
Documentation checklist
- Denomination
- Research required
- Issue or mint date
- Recorded
- Material
- Recorded
- Weight
- Research required
- Mint or printer
- Research required
- Mint or printer mark
- Research required
- Catalogue reference
- Research required
- Attached photograph (check rights)
- Recorded
Recorded means a field is present, not independently verified. Read its wording, supporting source and the entry’s confidence level.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm the wider type, maker and dating against a specialist reference; this entry documents one recorded example.