Queen Victoria
Indian coinage of Queen Victoria, covering both the earlier issues as Queen and the later issues as Empress of India.
Victoria coinage of India
Victoria's Indian coinage divides into two clearly separate groups, and telling them apart is the first thing to learn in this area. The earlier coins were struck while she reigned as Queen; following the proclamation of 1877 she was styled Empress of India, and the obverse legend changes accordingly. Collectors normally treat the two as distinct series rather than one continuous run.
The portrait also changes over the reign, and the coinage spans a wide range of denominations from small copper fractions up to the silver rupee. Together with the mint marks, that gives a large but well-organised field to work through.
Ways to collect
- Queen versus Empress — completing one group before starting the other.
- By denomination — one example of each value.
- Date runs — building consecutive years for a single denomination.
- By mint — the same date and denomination from different mints.