Counterfeit Token

Some token or trade coin between 1818 and 1839 found during the period of East India Company in India. Also, similar coin with date 1616 and 1717 found. Earlier an archaeologist (Mr. Sanjib Singh) from National Museum in Delhi said that East India Company did issue coins in India which were made of Corolina (Gold), Anglina (Silver), Cupproon (Copper) and Tinny (Tin). There was absolutely no reference of coins with Hindu Gods inscribed on them. Earlier a numismatist said that those types of coins with pictures of gods were made for the purpose of sale to foreign tourists. Whenever East India Company issued a coin, it had their logo. It can be noted that, East India Company did not issue coins with English wording till 1835 and prior coins were in Urdu/Persian. Furthermore, in 1616 East India Company had not set its foot in India, as a ruler. Also, it was well known that, a coin with a religious motif depicting Indian gods Ram, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman on the reverse, was a “fantasy” coin. Temple tokens with motifs or designs of Hindu gods and goddesses were symbolic and were never meant for commerce nor were they used as legal tender. There had also similar coin with Islamic symbol and also symbol of banyan trees, coconut, crab, etc.

East India Company obtained first permission from the emperor Farrukhsiyar to mint coin of Mughal money in Bombay in 1717. But the first coins with the name of East India Company in India was introduced in 1835 during the period of William IV. A copper coin with the inscription East India Company dated before 1835, usually with early dates such as 1616, 1717, 1818, and denominations Anna, Half Anna, or Rupee, the coin was not issued by the East India Company, but a spiritually oriented token manufactured and sold to tourists. Though those pieces contained valid denominations (anna, rupee, etc.) and a valid issuing agency (East India Company) but those pieces were not legal tender coins. They were instead Temple Tokens, Lebbo coins, or similar non-legal tender with religious or magical implications. Most of those tokens contain a value of two anna, one anna or half anna; marked on that. Dimension of one anna were around 38mm and half anna were around 32mm with plain edge. Thickness of half anna found around 2mm whether thickness of one anna found between a range of 2mm and 2.5mm. Weight of most of the half anna were around 12g but weight of one anna varies between 16g and 24g. it can be noted that, lettering pattern of East India Company was almost same in all the token in below photos.

These tokens vastly found in the Bengal region and significant numbers were observed around these large areas. Most of the numismatist told that those spiritually oriented tokens recently manufactured and sold to tourists. But the availability of these coin or token in a vast rural and urban areas of Bengal can be noted! The concept of present mint of those coins may be wrong. If those were minted in present dates, how those were spread over urban and rural area of Bangladesh and India! May be those coins were made for local trade or to use as a symbol of spiritual activities during that period. Most available pieces were marked between 1818 and 1839 with uniform shape. Variation of weight of those tokens proves those pieces were minted in different areas. But few of those may be produced in present time! Finally, it was not a trade coin or special item; just a piece of metal for fun! It was not produced by British India or East India Company! It was local made!













Also, I found below interesting item, may be used to produce such type of token. Its weight was around 44.5g.



 


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