1823 - Ceylon

Madras One Rupee Counter-Marked with a Crown

The persistent shortage of coin led to a special import of East India Company's Madras "Arcot" one rupees. To retain these coins in local circulation they were counter-marked with a crown. Declared current by local proclamations dated 1823 December 31st to pass at 4/3 rix-dollar or 16 fanams.

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination 4/3 RixDoller Alloy Silver (0.917Ag) Diameter 28.1 mm Thickness 2.1 mm Weight 11.51 gms Shape Round Edge Indented cord DieAxis O° Issue 282,337 Mint Madras
	FILLER coin image is NOT COUNTER-MARKED
	Pridmore #24; Mitchiner #2224; Krause #86

Obverse : Closed Lotus indicating Madras Mint
Reverse : AH 1172 - traditional year 6 of Alamgir II (1759) - Crown CounterMark on left side. (Not on this Filler coin image)

The coins counter marked with the British crown is the Madras Mint Arcot One rupee with closed lotus form (Krause Madras Presidency #413) the issue of which was authorized by a proclamation dated 1817 December 9th in Fort St. George (Madras).

The number issued from the 1824 Ceylon Blue book lists that 260,000 Arcot quarter rupee coin of the same mint issue ( Krause Madras Presidency #413 - 17.4 mm diameter and 2.91 gram weight) were similarly imported into Ceylon and counter marked for local use by a earlier proclamation dated 1823 March 22nd. to pass at 1/3 rix-dollar or 4 fanams. (Pridmore #25; Mitchiner #2225; Krause #85)

Withdrawn from circulation after British Sterling was introduced in the island just 2-years later, This coin is extreamly rare and difficult to find. It is One of the few Ceylon coins of this era with no image illustrated in the Krause catalog. If you can read and translate the Arabic text please E-mail me.

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Page 151 Chapter XI British - I : 1796-1825 - Plate 167.

The coin was scanned at 300dpi and the images are displayed at 200dpi.
The coin edge was scanned at 600dpi and the image is displayed at 400dpi.
The VF NOTcountermarked coin was purchased in May 2002 from a US dealer as a filler for the real countermarked coin which is far beyond what I can afford.