Mystery Coin or Token of the British India Period

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A small, coin-shaped copper object with a central hole was recovered, as shown in the figure below. The object weighs 3.28 g and has a diameter of 22.8 mm. But both sides are quite similar. Nothing was written on it.

The intricate floral scrollwork is instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with late British India bronze coinage. If you look closely at the top of the circular wreath on both sides, you can see the distinctive bunch of grapes, flanked by stylized vines, leaves, and flowers moving down the left and right rims. This can be described as below photo.


It can be a Pattern, Token, or Uniface/Blank Central Die Trial: During World War II, the British administration introduced the holed "1 Pice" to save metal. Before or during production, the mints (Calcutta, Bombay, Lahore, and Pretoria) tested dies. This piece appears to have been struck using only the outer decorative wreath die on both sides, leaving the central ring entirely blank where the denomination insert would normally strike.

Also, it can be contemporary Fantasy Token/ Exotic Counterfeit, historically, popular holed designs were sometimes replicated by private workshops or contemporary counterfeiters to be used as weights, tokens, or jewelry blanks.

According to the the Die Trial / Matrix Blank Theory, if the floral wreath is stamped equally sharp, raised, and oriented perfectly forward on both faces, this is not a minting error, it is an intended Mint Test Piece / Die Trial. During World War II, the mints in India (such as Bombay and Calcutta) had to completely redesign the 1 Pice coin with a central hole to save metal. Before combining the text dies with the art dies, engravers would take blank copper or bronze planchets and strike just the outer border artwork onto both sides to calibrate the strike pressure and test the durability of the circular wreath punch.

Both sides are identical down to the exact placement of the grape clusters and neither side is a mirrored indentation!



I love to collect coins, specially British Indian coins

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