Ok guys. I found this piece in a bunch of world coins in a box here. It was with several other rupees telling me we bought them all together. The thing is... They didn't make this type in 1910... or at least that is what my research tells me. This piece weighs 11.657 grams (exactly what the other 10 rupees of the era weigh) and definitely tests for silver. The front definitely has an "orange peel" look to it... and it may be cast... but the weight is RIGHT on. I'm pretty dang confused....
Besides the orange peel, it has coppery undertones I don't care for much. You said its weight was right on, but are the dimensions? I am wondering if this is a little thicker than normal. From what I have seen, lead leaves too many telltale signs, so many times contemporary counterfeiters, if they are worried about the weight being checked, make the coin a little thicker so it weighs correctly, and they can still use their cheap pot metal mixture on the coin.
Ok, but it still looks coppery. If someone made a contemporary counterfeit, they did it for profit. Is it possible this is lower purity silver diluted with copper and something else, but still containing some silver? I would still be curious of the dimensions, if they are absolutely correct. I do not know much of Indian coinage from this timeframe, just remembering some Chinese mints would magically produce more minor silver coins than they should have given X pounds of silver input. That was from official mints, and here we are fairly obviously, (due to the design), talking of an unofficial one.
I would say it's an altered date if the details weren't crudely off. Most likely this is a novelty or "tourist" piece, but being silver it would be contemporary to when the actual coins were used. Very interesting though, something I definitely would bid on.
This is definitely a fake. Gorge V coins for India only started minting from 1911 onwards. Even if we assume that this was minted officially later, it should be a restrike/ proof piece. However the reverse is extremely crude compared to the usual business strikes I have seen ( let alone the proof/ restrike ones). On the reverse most of the important details of king's dress are missed out however they have taken care of reproduce the elephant/ pig carefully, since that is a known feature of early George V coins. I will only buy this as a novelty item, knowing fully well that this is fake.
When they started minting them in 1911 as you note - a controversy erupted immediately when they made it into circulation as what was supposed to be an elephant on the necklace on the king appeared more pig-like and people rioted as pigs were seen as unclean animals. The design was quickly modified and the pig rupees quickly disappeared.
Nope. This is not a trial piece or a pattern. British India pattern pieces are gorgeous, and this is too crude to be one. Search for Indian pattern pieces on Heritage Auctions site and you would see what I mean. Here is an example pattern rupee from 1910.
