5 Rupees

This type was introduced as India shifted away from its older, larger 5-rupee coinage in a cost-driven rationalisation of the circulating series during the early 1990s. The Reserve Bank had been under pressure to reduce production costs as base metal prices climbed, and the smaller, lighter copper-nickel format was the direct result.

Dies for this series were produced at the four Indian government mints — Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Noida — each identifiable by a distinct mint mark, making a complete date-and-mint run a more involved exercise than the modest denomination might suggest.