India, 1 rupee, 2008 (Mumbai)

Here’s something different…

India, 1 rupee, 2008 (Mumbai Mint) (KM #331)

India’s coins in the British era were of high quality, the the mints of the Republic of India have let the quality standards slip a lot since 1990. Many of India’s coins today are struck at such low relief that legends and mintmarks are often illegible even on brand new coins. The dot for Mumbai was barely visible on this specimen. In India, what we Americans would call the Thumbs Up means “one” to the Indians. It’s the size of a US quarter, and yet this coin is worth less than USD $0.02!

Metal Stainless Steel
Weight 4.8 g
Diameter 25 mm
Thickness 1.47 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment

India, 5 rupees (dot), 2001

This is the coin for Tuesday, March 29th.

India, 5 rupees (dot), 2001 (KM #154.1)

The dot represents the Mumbai mint. This type of coin was been in production from 1992 to 2005. This is a thick heavy coin with a security edge. It feels like two quarters and a nickel stuck together, yet it’s only worth 11.2 cents USD. Most of India’s modern coins are sloppily struck, with shallow relief and poor detail. Finding good specimens struck clear to begin with, and also lacking circulation wear, is difficult.

Metal Copper-nickel
Weight 9 g
Diameter 23 mm
Shape Round

India, 50 Paise, 1985

Drum roll please…..

India, 50 paise, 1985 (KM #65)

Ever since India decimalized in 1957, the rupee has been subdivided into 100 paise, so this coin represents half a rupee (about 1.1 cents USD). In 1985, 50 paise was the third-largest out of seven denominations. Now it is the smallest value coin still used. This coin bears a star below the 1 in the date, indicating that it was struck at the Taegu Mint in Korea. It has been common for India to contract out the production of coins to foreign mints, though that practice has been done sparingly in the last decade. The floral decor around the coin is very attractive, in my opinion, and the relief detail on both faces is of higher quality than locally-made Indian coins.

Metal Copper-nickel
Weight 5.09 g
Diameter 24 mm
Shape Round
Demonetized yes