Know Your India: Coins of Sailana

Sailana was a princely state in the Malwa region of Central India, and was originally a part of Ratlam. Sailana was under British protection – evident from the coins issued by the state. In 1908 and 1912, one-quarter anna coins of Sailana state were minted in small numbers, at the Calcutta mint. These were identical to the British India one-quarter anna in size and weight – with a portrait of Edward VII/George V on one side. On the reverse, these coins had the words ‘Sailana State’ in English and Hindi, on the edge of the coin (see picture).

Copper coins of Sailana are popular with collectors of British India coins because

1. Rarity: The 1908 and 1912 coins were minted in small numbers – just 224,000 each, because Sailana was a small state. Compared to these, British India coins were minted in hundreds of millions. This makes Sailana coins rare – these copper coins fetch prices higher than many British India silver coins. Between the two variants, the 1908 coins are comparatively rarer.
2. Design: Coins of Sailana have the same weight and design as British India coins, and can be considered a sub-set of British India coins. It is easy for a collector of British India coins to also move into this related category. While these coins are rare, they are not priced exorbitantly (not yet at least).

If you wish to buy coins of Sailana State, click here.

Coins of Bundi Princely State

Bundi was one of the smaller princely states of India, in modern day Rajasthan. In the early 19^th century, it accepted British protection – and coins of Bundi carried the name of the local ruler (Ram Singh) together with the British ruler – Victoria, Edward VII and George V respectively. Unlike other coins of modern age, which are milled, coins of Bundi were hammered – making the quality uneven - with the impression not falling on the planchet completely. The silver rupee of Bundi was thicker than the standard British India rupee, with a lower diameter – 21-2 mm vs. 30-31 mm, and slightly lighter – 10.6-10.7 grams instead of the 11.66 grams.

For more information on coins of Bundi, click here. 

The Jai Hind Kori was a special silver coin issued on occasion of India's freedom by the Kutch Princely State. Prior to 1947, coins of Kutch carried the name of the local ruler on the front and the British ruler on the other side. Also, the front of the coin was written in devnagari, while the reverse was in Urdu. In 1947, the Jai Hind kori replaced the name of the English king with the words -'Jai Hind', written in Devnagari script. These coins are rare and popular with collectors.

If you want to buy Jai Hind Koris, follow this link. 

Coins of Kutch

Kutch was ruled by Jadeja rajputs from 1147 AD to 1948 (when the state was merged into India). Coins of Kutch are popular among collectors for their neatly milled design. The currency of Kutch used to be Kori - which seems to be derived from the word Cowrie - name for sea-shells, which have been used as money in the past.

The most common large denomination coin of Kutch is the 5 Kori silver coin - which weighs 13.87 grams. This is heavier than the British India silver rupee, which was 11.66 grams. The Kutch coin also has higher silver content. The other silver coins were 2.5 kori, 1 kori and half kori (See picture above). Half Kori coins were minted only once in the 20th century - in 1928.

There are some common features in the design of all the four coins. The front of the coin has the year in Vikram Samvat and the name of Kutch ruler in Devnagari script (Khengarji in the picture above). On the reverse, the coin bears the name of the British Emperor (George V in the coins above) and the year according to Christian calendar. The reverse of the coin has Urdu script.

If you are interested in buying coins of Kutch Princely state, follow this link.