India 1893-B 1/2 rupee
The first specimen was lot 1314 in Stephen Album sale 37 (Santa Rosa, CA, June 2020), where it sold for $1,666. The catalog description[1] noted, "BRITISH INDIA: Victoria, Empress, 1876-1901, AR 1/2 rupee, 1893-B, better date, a superb example! PCGS graded MS64." The second specimen was lot 2720 in Stephen Album sale 38 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2020), where it sold for $113.05. The catalog description[2] noted, "BRITISH INDIA: Victoria, Empress, 1876-1901, AR ½ rupee, 1898-B [sic], incuse B mintmark, fields a bit baggy, some luster, better date/mintmark, VF to EF." This type was issued at Calcutta and Bombay 1877-1901 in a bewildering array of varieties, including proofs, off-metal strikes and restrikes. The type is not rare but is infrequently seen compared to the silver rupee. It is distinguished from the type issued 1862-76 by the obverse legend, "VICTORIA EMPRESS" instead of "VICTORIA QUEEN." For 1893, the Bombay product comes with an incuse "B" mintmark in the flower above "HALF" and Calcutta is marked with an incuse "C". The mintmarks (or lack of them) varied from year to year.
Recorded mintage: 2,462,000.
Specification: 5.83 g, 0.917 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-491.
- 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]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 37, featuring the Gamal Amer Collection of Egyptian Coins and the Ahmed Sultan Collection of Ottoman Coins, Part II, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
- [2]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 38, featuring the Dabestani Collection of Persian Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
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