Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Anna - Edward VII Copper Nickel Pattern, Calcutta
| Issuer | India - British |
|---|---|
| Year | 1904 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Rupee (1770-1947) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The numeral 1 occupies the central field, flanked by the denomination expressed in three scripts: ONE ANNA in Latin, ایک آنہ in Urdu (Nastaliq), and एक आना in Devanagari (Hindi). The date 1904 appears below the central numeral, with all legends arranged concentrically and enclosed within a beaded denticled border. The trilingual inscription reflects the polyglot character of British India and is characteristic of the experimental coinage produced for currency reform discussions during the Edwardian period. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
In 1904, the Indian government was actively pushing to replace the large, heavy copper pice with a smaller copper-nickel coinage — part of a broader rationalization of the subcontinent's fractional currency. Pattern strikes like this one were produced at Calcutta to test the alloy's suitability for tropical circulation, where copper coins corroded badly and the public distrusted unfamiliar metals. The transition was contentious; merchant communities in particular resisted new compositions.
The copper-nickel anna never entered general circulation under Edward VII. The shift was ultimately deferred, and the familiar copper format persisted well into the following reign.