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1 Rupee 'Lukuan Rupee'
| Issuer | Tibet |
|---|---|
| Year | 1902-1903 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Four large Chinese ideograms arranged in a two-by-two grid occupy the central field, reading 爐關足銀 (Lukuan Tsu Yin, meaning 'Lukuan [Mint] sufficient silver'). The characters are rendered in bold regular script (kaishu) and fill the coin's interior in a striking, unadorned layout. A dotted inner circle frames the central inscription, with a plain raised rim completing the border. The design is austere and functional, typical of Chinese imperial mint coinage produced for circulation in Tibet. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | 爐關足銀 (Translation: Lu Guan Zu Yin — Lukuan sufficient silver) |
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| Additional information |
Produced under a Tibetan government contract with the Szechuan mint in Chengdu, this issue emerged from a period when Lhasa was actively trying to displace Indian rupees — particularly the British Trade Rupee — that had been flooding Tibetan markets since the 1890s. The Chinese characters on the coin gave it the name "Lukuan Rupee" among traders. Production was short-lived; the British invasion under Younghusband in 1903–1904 disrupted Tibetan monetary policy entirely, and the type was not continued in any meaningful quantity.