East India Company
Coinage issued under the East India Company, including the separate Presidency coinages and the later uniform issues.
East India Company coinage
Before the Crown assumed direct rule, coinage in India was issued under the East India Company — and for much of that period it was not one coinage but several. The Bengal, Bombay and Madras Presidencies each struck their own coins, with different standards, designs and scripts, before the move to a single uniform coinage.
That makes this one of the more varied areas of the British period: Persian and English legends, local and European design conventions, and a wide range of denominations and weights sitting alongside each other.
What to look at
- Which Presidency — the primary division in the earlier material.
- Presidency versus uniform coinage — two quite different phases.
- Script and legend — often the quickest identifier.
- Metal and weight — standards varied before unification.
Attribution can take study, so read the seller's description alongside the photographs.