British Indian and Mughal Coins

Following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, her eldest son, King Edward VII , ascended the British throne, marking the beginning of a new numismatic era across the British Empire. In India, silver one-rupee coins bearing his portrait were struck between 1903 and 1910, representing one of the most studied series of the British Indian coinage . Throughout this period, rupees were produced primarily at the Calcutta and Bombay Mints . Calcutta issues were struck without an explicit mint mark, whereas Bombay coins carried a minute incuse "B" beneath the reverse design. On the 1903 issue, a less common raised "B" variety is also known. The Bombay mint mark, however, is often difficult to discern due to its extremely small size. Fortunately, collectors have long relied on a more practical diagnostic feature, a tiny raised dot located on the stem of the lotus bud at the lower right of the reverse. As noted by D. Chakravarty in Coins of India , this dot served as a suffi...