The Big Three of 1893: A Numismatic Study of the British Indian One Rupee

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Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901) produced one of the most studied and sought-after coinages of British India. For collectors, her coinage is traditionally classified into four distinct phases, each defined by clear changes in legend style, portrait, and administrative authority.

1. 1840–1850: Continuous Legend (East India Company): The earliest Victorian issues feature a youthful bust encircled by the uninterrupted inscription VICTORIA QUEEN. The smooth, flowing legend and refined engraving of this period make these coins especially appealing, with several early die varieties attracting specialist interest.

2. 1850–1860: Divided Legend (East India Company): In this phase, the portrait breaks the legend, placing VICTORIA on one side of the bust and QUEEN on the other. Though subtle, this modification marks a key transitional style and is a primary diagnostic feature for identifying mid-century issues.

3. 1862–1876: Imperial Coinage (Crown Administration): Following the transfer of power to the British Crown in 1858, a standardized imperial coinage was introduced in 1862. Many coins from this period carry the frozen date “1862,” requiring collectors to rely on dot patterns, mint marks, and die characteristics to determine their true year of striking. Regular year-by-year dating resumed from 1874 onward.

4. 1877–1901: Victoria Empress: After Victoria assumed the title Empress of India, the coin legends were revised to VICTORIA EMPRESS. These later issues portray an older monarch and offer a rich range of mint and die varieties, making them a favorite area of study for advanced collectors.

 

During my examination of an 1893 One Rupee coin, I observed a noticeably large numeral “3” in the date when compared with the standard mint style. In addition, an incuse letter “B” was present on the coin.

Based on numismatic references and comparative studies, the 1893 One Rupee is known to exist primarily in two C1 variants. One variety bears an incuse “B”, while the other carries an incuse “C” along with a reeded edge. The incuse letters are generally accepted as mint identifiers, with “B” representing the Bombay Mint and “C” indicating the Calcutta Mint.

The unusually large “3” in the date on the examined coin closely matches the known characteristics of the C1 variety with the incuse “B”. This correspondence in numeral style strongly suggests that the coin belongs to the Bombay Mint issue, rather than the Calcutta variant.

 


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