Gold Rupee - Victoria [Mangal Singh]

Alwar's gold rupees under Mangal Singh occupy an odd corner of Indian princely coinage — technically denominated as rupees but struck in gold at a weight approximating the mohur standard, which created immediate confusion about their monetary function. Mangal Singh ruled Alwar from 1874 until his deposition by the British in 1892, removed on grounds of extreme cruelty to his subjects. This 1891 issue was struck just a year before that forced removal.

The British deposition left Alwar's coinage series truncated abruptly, making late-reign gold issues like this one among the last produced under his authority.