2018-04-09 Mon

This “Silver One Rupee” of 1939 coin is one of the rarest coins of British India! King Georg VI was coronated in 1937 and his portrait appeared on the obverse of the rupee coins from 1938. The one rupee coins were minted from the purest of silver. But the pre-Second World War tensions were rising high and so were the prices of silver. The Second World War started in September 1939 and the minting of silver one rupee coins was stopped, making it one of the most sought-after rarities of British India coins.

One of such silver rupee of King George VI was recently sold for a whopping Rs. 6 lakhs! This rare silver coin minted at Bombay mint depicts the portrait of the King on its obverse with the inscription “GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR” around his portrait. The reverse of the coin has the Bombay mint mark, a dot, below and the inscription “ONE RUPEE INDIA 1939” in English and “Yek Rupaya” in Persian, in a circle surrounded by floral patterns.

Have you checked your piggy banks? Maybe you possess this treasure. But watch out for the forgeries!

Image Courtesy: Wiki Commons