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Mints are responsible for quality of their product – i.e. – coins they produce, and the mint-mark is a way of tracing the product back to the manufacturer. This is similar to how the packaging of most products mentions the details of manufacturing facility. The mint-mark is not the primary feature of a coin’s design, so it is usually much smaller than other design features of the coin. The first mint producing uniform coins in India was set up in Calcutta by the British, followed by Bombay and Madras mints. The Madras mint was shut down in 1869 and Calcutta...

Udaipur or Mewar, is best known for Rana Pratap’s resistance against Mughal emperor Akbar. The rulers of Udaipur were called Maharanas – the only ones in Rajputana to be honored with this title. The capital – Udaipur, was established by Udai Singh after the sack of Chittorgarh by Akbar. It was his son Pratap Singh who is now better known as Maharana Pratap. Buy Udaipur Coins Udaipur was one of the larger princely states in the British era, and the ruler was entitled to a 19-gun salute. Post independence, Udaipur was one of the first states to sign the instrument...

  The 5 kori silver coin was heavier than the 1 rupee silver coin used in British India – and was accordingly pegged at 1 rupee, 5 annas and 1 pie. The 5 kori coin minted in 1875 was the last such coin to be minted in the name of Pragmalji II, the Jadeja Rajput ruler of Kutch – whose reign lasted from 1860-1875. The reverse of the coin also carries the name of Queen Victoria – this practice lasted till 1947. There are some features common to all coins of Kutch: A daggar (katar), crescent and trident (trishul) are...

Sailana was a princely state in the Malwa region of Central India, and was originally a part of Ratlam (up to 1730). The name of the state derives from the capital town, which was named after ‘shail’ (mountain) and ‘anana’ (at the mouth of). Sailana’s territories were scattered and the state had borders with walior, Indore, Dhar, Jhabua, Jaora, Banswara, and Kushalgarh States. Sailana’s rulers were Rathore rajputs and an offshoot of the ruling house of Ratlam. The ruler of Sailana was entitled to an 11-gun salute. Sailana was a relatively small state, with an area of 450 square miles,...

Bundi was one of the smaller princely states of India, in modern day Rajasthan. In the early 19th century, it accepted British protection – and from 1858 onward, the 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...