The Uniform Coinage of India, British Imperial Period: Princely States, BIKANIR, Victoria...

The Uniform Coinage of India, British Imperial Period: Princely States, BIKANIR, Victoria [Ganga Singh (1887-1943)], silver Rupee, type C/2, 1892 [1892-4], Bombay, crowned and robed bust left, victoria empress, 3.5 panels in jabot, no v on bodice or crescent at point of shoulder, rev. Maharaj Ganga Singh bahadur sanat 1892 in Nagari and Persian in centre, one rupee bikanir state divided by fly-whisks, edge grained, 11.69g/12h (Prid. 1003 [Sale, lot 187]; Stevens website BK 125; KM. 72; cf. Fore III, 1322-3). Rather bagmarked, otherwise extremely fine, reverse better and with mint bloom £70-£90 --- Owner’s ticket and envelope. Established as a state in the second half of the 15th century, the rulers of Bikanir, in Rajputana, became vassals of the emperors of Delhi. The state came under British influence in 1817 and Sardar Singh (1818-72), the Maharajah at the time of the Indian Mutiny, assisted the British, to be rewarded with additional territory in 1862. Further local insurrections led to increased British involvement and his adopted heir Dungar Singh (1854-87) was succeeded by Dungar’s adopted brother, 7-year old Ganga Singh (1880-1943), who came of age in 1898. Bikanir applied for the substitution of silver and copper coins struck in a British mint for its then existing currency in September 1890. The proposal being accepted, an agreement was drawn up and the necessary dies prepared. The Darbar proceeded to call in its silver coins and despatch them to the Bombay mint, where they were recoined as rupees which became legal tender in British India; similarly the copper coins were sent to Calcutta where they were recoined. The number of rupees coined for the state was 707,072 (102,030 in 1892-3, 493,836 in 1893-4 and 111,206 in 1897-8), while that of copper quarter-annas and half-pice totalled 6.65 million, all of which were struck in 1894-5