Posted 05/02/2009 7:36 pm
Well, I shall snap into action since the Company is a major interest of mine. Your coin is in fact a 1/4 Anna that was minted by the East India Company in Calcutta (Though It is hard to tell due to the amount of wear, but far more with the small "one quarter anna" on the reverse were minted in Calcutta than in Madras). From the last years of the 18th century until 1835 the Company issued coins that were very much in the style of coins of India during this time. From 1835 until the Company's abolition in 1858 the Company was authorized to make coins depicting the its coat of arms.
The Denomination of your coin is based upon the Indian system of 1 Rupee = 16 Annas = 64 Paise (1/4 annas) = 192 Pies (1/2 Annas).
wd1040- yep, trading with India (and allying themselves with powerful banker-merchants) was the first step towards taking over India prior to 1765. But they never did take over the whole country, rather they just took over major parts of it and made other parts "princely states," which were little more than puppet governments with an Indian ruler on the throne who was in cahoots with the British.
The Denomination of your coin is based upon the Indian system of 1 Rupee = 16 Annas = 64 Paise (1/4 annas) = 192 Pies (1/2 Annas).
wd1040- yep, trading with India (and allying themselves with powerful banker-merchants) was the first step towards taking over India prior to 1765. But they never did take over the whole country, rather they just took over major parts of it and made other parts "princely states," which were little more than puppet governments with an Indian ruler on the throne who was in cahoots with the British.
