10 Paisa - Mahendra Bir Bikram

Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah came to the throne in 1955 following the death of Tribhuvan, and this bronze issue spans the early years of his reign — a period when he was methodically consolidating royal authority against the democratic factions that Tribhuvan had courted. In 1960, mid-run, Mahendra dissolved parliament, imprisoned the prime minister, and banned political parties outright, establishing the Panchayat system of partyless governance that would define Nepal for the next three decades.

The timing makes pieces dated to 1960 or later carry a quietly different political charge than those struck before the coup.