Unusual Three-Star Mark Above the Head of Queen Victoria on the 1840 Rupee

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Alexandrina Victoria, known historically as Queen Victoria, reigned from 1837 to 1901, a period that saw the British Empire expand significantly in political, industrial, scientific, and military influence. Indian coinage issued in her name is customarily divided into four phases.

  1. 1840–1850: Continuous Legend issues of the East India Company, bearing the uninterrupted inscription VICTORIA QUEEN above the portrait.
  2. 1850–1860: Divided Legend issues, where the obverse legend VICTORIA and QUEEN is split by the bust.
  3. 1862–1876: Imperial issues under Crown administration; dates expressed by bead-marks from 1862–1874, with fully dated coins beginning in 1874.
  4. 1877–1901: Empress issues following the conferral of the title Empress of India in 1876.

During the East India Company period, rupees were struck at Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras. The obverse design varies distinctly between the two early types: the Continuous Legend type carries the full inscription above the bust, while the Divided Legend type places VICTORIA to the left and QUEEN to the right of the portrait.

The standard 1840 Divided Legend Rupee is struck in 0.917 fine silver, weighs approximately 11.66 g, measures 30.5 mm, has a milled edge, and a thickness of about 1.8 mm. The obverse shows the left-facing bust of Queen Victoria with the divided legend, all within a raised, toothed border. The reverse displays the value ONE RUPEE / یک روپیے, enclosed by a laurel wreath, with EAST INDIA COMPANY above and the date 1840 below.

A notably unusual specimen has been observed: a Divided Legend rupee of 1840 bearing three raised five-pointed stars positioned above the Queen’s head. The piece conforms closely to standard dimensions, weighing approximately 11.4 g, and exhibits no disturbance to the rim or field where the stars appear, features which argue against later tooling, as the addition of relief elements without increased weight or surface damage is improbable. The coin additionally shows a rotation error, further suggesting an irregularity at the striking stage rather than post-mint alteration. This combination of raised star marks and die rotation makes the specimen an exceptional anomaly within the series.

 






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