Token - 1 Rupee, Port Blair, Andaman Islands, 1861
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
1861
1 Rupee, Issued by, Port Blair, Andaman Islands, 1861 Minted by Calcutta In the 1830s and 1840s, crews shipwrecked on the Andaman Islands were often attacked and killed by the natives. In 1855, the British government proposed a settlement on the islands which would include a convict establishment. The Indian Rebellion in 1857 delayed it's construction but provided many new prisoners. Construction began in November 1857 at the renovated Port Blair. Rupees were issued in 1861 and 1866, they are termed tokens as the metal value of the coin was not equal to its face value. No prisoners were sent there after 1921, it was occupied by the Japanese during World War II and it was closed after it. The tokens were withdrawn from circulation in 1870.
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.
Physical characteristics
- Edge
- Plain
- Shape
- Round with round hole
- Material
- Copper
- Dimensions
- 29 mm (Outside Diameter), 8.265 g (Weight)
Technical characteristics
- Series
- Penal-colony
- Die axis
- 01
- Date issued
- 1861 AD
- Denomination
- 1 Rupee
- Mint recorded
- Calcutta (Mint) (India)
Design
- Obverse
- Young head of Queen Victoria wearing coronet l.; around, VICTORIA QUEEN; holed at centre
- Reverse
- At centre within wreath and around hole, ONE RUPEE ; around, ANDAMAN TOKEN 1861
Identification
- Candidate id
- mv-62392
- Museum object number
- NU 12000
- Catalogue references (museum record)
- KM#1
- Source note
- Facts transcribed from the linked single-object source. Wider type attribution and authenticity have not been independently verified.
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 and source attribution against specialist references.