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71/2 Skar
| Issuer | Tibetan Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1909 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 9.99 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field features a snow lion passant facing right within a circular beaded inner border, surrounded by stylized cloud and floral scrollwork. The lion is depicted in traditional Tibetan artistic style with a curling mane and raised forepaw. Encircling the central motif is a band of Tibetan script legend reading the name of the Ganden Phodrang government. The entire design is enclosed by an outer beaded border. The relief is bold and the overall composition reflects the characteristic decorative aesthetic of early twentieth-century Tibetan coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | དགའ་ལྡན་ཕོ་བྲང་ ཕྱོགས་ལས་རྣམ་ རྣམ་རྒྱལ། |
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| Additional information |
The 7½ Skar denomination is an oddity born of necessity — Tibet's monetary system in this period operated on a base that made half-unit fractions functionally essential for small transactions. This issue dates to the reign of the 13th Dalai Lama, a period of acute political pressure as both Britain and Russia maneuvered for influence over Lhasa, and the Tibetan government was simultaneously attempting to modernize its coinage infrastructure with the Dode mint.
The fractional denomination was short-lived in practice, proving awkward in daily commerce.