India 1862(m) 1/4 rupee
This specimen was lot 75114 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $360. The catalog description[1] noted, "INDIA. 1/4 Rupee, 1862-(M). Madras Mint. Victoria. NGC EF-45. Variety with "V1CTORIA" in legend. This charming silver minor displays its legend variety quite clearly amid deep charcoal surface tone with iridescent highlights. Enticingly crisp and lustrous." This denomination, the second smallest of the silver issues, was struck for India at the Calcutta, Bombay and Madras mints in 1862 and 1874-76. As the 1862 is the most frequently seen, it seems logical to suppose it was struck with a frozen date 1862-73. The issues of the various mints, which did not use mintmarks, vary slightly in diameter.
Recorded mintage: 19,412,000 (Calcutta), 11,390,000 (Bombay), 5,049,000 (Madras).
Specification: 2.92 g, 0.917 fine silver, 19.3-20.0 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM-470; S&W-4.137; Prid-378A.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Stevens, Paul, and Randy Weir, The Uniform Coinage of India, 1835 to 1947, A Catalogue and Pricelist, London, Spink & Son Ltd, 2012.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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