I picked this up today at the coin shop.It's from the Bombay mint in India and ones like it were minted in Calcutta as well. The mint mark is located on the middle point of Brittania's trident and is VERY small. I believe this issue is undervalued and a great bargain for you guys that like big silver pieces of historical value for not too much money. An XF one like this can be had for $25-60 but be careful,there are a LOT of fakes. hint: if you click the pics a second time to enlarge,you can almost make out the "B" on the trident
Yeah, quite nice. Not the rarest coin in the world, but fairly good for the issue (although they do exist in quantity in choice uncirculated) In England you see them quite a bit, but not bad for $26 dollars !
The total mintage of these coins is estimated at 267,200,000. In 1925 and in 1930, they were minted in London too apart from Bombay and Calcutta. The weight of the coin is 26.9568 gms. They were minted between 1895 and 1935.
In some years,the 'C' mintmark of the Calcutta Mint can be found located at the base of Britannia's shield on the reverse.I don't yet have a Calcutta Mint struck British Trade $1,but I will eventually get one.It seems very strange that this coin is not listed in the Spink or Coincraft catalogues,even though it is a British coin.I suppose it is because it circulated in Hong Kong & the other British colonies in the Far East.Spink & Coincraft DO list the Portcullis coins of 1601 though. Be very careful when collecting the British Trade $1 series,as there are some very deceptive forgeries. Aidan.
Ya.. Aidan is right.. be aware of forgeries... the best way to recognize as usual is the soapy surface...
Biju,apart from the soapy appearance,it is also the dull grey colour that is also a warning sign.In addition to this weigh the item.If it weighs too lightly,then it definitely is a forgery.The rare dates,especially the 1935 are a favourite target for the forgers,especially those up in China. Aidan.
