It's not a hard question. "Pig" rupee - is a coin of the king George V. It is a type of an Indian rupees which were released at 1911: small elephant on the rupee was alike a pig.
Yes, the UK released a new coin design in 1911 that had a small "charm" of an elephant on the chain around George's neck. It was an Indian elephant and as such had a short trunk. The rumor spread that the English were defaming the Muslims in India by putting a pig on the coin. Many of the coins were recalled and melted and the design ws changed to depict an elephant with an elongated and curved trunk.
How does the collecting community regard proof restrikes now? I saw a few fancy prices on Heritage and on Ebay. The reason I ask is that I acquired some 2 anna and 8 anna pieces back in the 1970's. If I can, I'll try to post a photo or two.
I can't speak for everyone else, but personally as soon as a coin is not original, unless it is a contemporary forgery, I am not interested. Many companies here in the UK sell proof re-strikes and fantasy coins - usually at very high prices to inexperienced collectors. As a part time dealer I then have to handle the disappointed collector when he or she comes to sell their "valuable" collection and find the market value is a small fraction of what they paid. If you must get modern proof coins, make sure they are at least precious metal, so you have that market to fall back on - IMHO! As to Indian - I do not collect these, but had the privilege of selling a very nice collection a few years back. The Octagonal 8 Anna is very sought after if original - I don't know if this interest spills over to a 1970s repro. Pictures would be interesting.
Hi PaddyB, Thanks for replying. While I share your reluctance to deal in "restrikes" to some degree, my greater reluctance would be with anything which has been misrepresented or is ostensibly a counterfeit. I had to deliver the bad news to a number of customers at the coin shop at which I worked part-time in the 1970s, so I am sensitive to misrepresented and misunderstood items. You mentioned fantasy issues. To me, fantasy issues can be clearly differentiated from the genuine coins by an inscription or by a difference in size or shape, such as a minter using a buffalo nickel design as a centerpiece on a one-ounce silver bar or a Lincoln cent three inches across fr use as a coaster. To some degree, a mint may produce it's own fantasy pieces, such as the many items in Judd's book on American patterns. At one of the margins of official issues, such as with the 2000 pieces (Ref 2) struck of the copper-nickel 1856 flying eagle cent to win approval of the coin by Congress, the coin essentially becomes a regular issue, as the same design was produced in great quantity in 1857-58 as we replaced many of the large cents in circulation. At the other margin we have the 1804 dollar (Ref 1) which was produced at US government direction to order as part of official gifts to foreign dignitaries. Moving over the edge to unofficial strikes, we have such things as the 1913 V Nickel or the 1933 $20, also made in the mint, but without official sanction. The 1933 pieces are seized on sight by the US government, while the 1913 nickels sell freely (on the rare occasions they change hands) at auction. In the US, we have gone through phases in which private mints (Franklin Mint being the most prodigious) produce copious quantities of fantasy reproductions, medals and non-coin coins to sell to people with a desire to collect, much as did private mints in Great Britain at the end of the 17th century with Conder tokens (of which I have a nice grouping of mint and near-mint pieces) for the collectors of that era. Fantasy pieces are clearly collectible. My understanding of the India 8 Annas and other issues is that the Bombay Mint retained the dies and mint personnel would strike pieces to order, in whatever metal the person wished. The pieces I have were lacquered (presumably at the mint) to protect the surfaces in the heat and humidity, carefully wrapped in tissue paper (I assume to wick away moisture) and placed in 46 by 70mm white envelopes stamped H.M. Mint with the item at bottom. I acquired them as restrikes at attractive prices in the 1970s and considered the packaging to be old-looking at the time, so I might expect they were produced some years before, although after their 1920 date. Regrettably, they are the round ones, not the octagonal ones to which you referred. I keep the coins in the bank, but the packaging materials here. I expect the market to distinguish between originals and clearly identified restrikes, and I also expect that some collectors would turn up their noses at the restrikes, leading to the difference in prices. My question, however, should be restated. Do the prices achieved on Ebay and at Heritage Auctions fairly represent the values of these restrikes ($800-1200 for the 1920B 8 Anna)? Is there some reference I can access which can give me a clear idea of the value of the restrikes? Someconcerns Ref 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1804_silver_dollar Ref 2: http://flyingeaglecent.com/flying-eagle-cent-mintage/
... and sadly the answer is "I don't know!" When I came to sell the Indian coins I had, the only reference I had was Krause, and so the prices realised on Ebay were a constant surprise to me. It is probably fair to say I could have got a lot more if I had known where to go, but as they owed me very little, I was happy with what I got for them. The Indian market seems very hot at present - it is an economically dynamic country, with some people gaining enormous wealth, and some of these are keen to buy back their heritage. I sell occasionally at local antiques and collectables fayres, and Indian coins are the nationality I am most often asked for. I am not sure any "hardcopy" reference will be keeping up with this market anyway, so best to trust the figures you see from completed sales online.
sadly some of us cant afford to eat and the local indian market has tanked in a big way along with the rest of the economy.
There are a prodigious number of "old" reference books for Indian coins, many of which are out of copyright and can be viewed through google books and the like. Even though knowledge has moved on greatly over the past 100 years or so there is still a surprisingly good bank of information that can be obtained by browsing through these. The study of coins seems to have been a popular hobby for the British Raj of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I have the unique pleasure of holding all of Spocks Indian coins hostage.....or many of them anyway. Maybe one day, and with Spock's permission, I will release some pics.
