Victoria (Crowned) 1860-1873 - Mohur

Act XIII, issued in April 1862, authorised a new silver and copper coinage but made no mention of gold coins.

In February 1866, the Mansfield Commission was established to investigate the use of paper money and the gold coinage. They found that gold coins were used by merchants and bankers in trade, and by the populace at large as a medium for hoarding accumulated wealth. The Commission therefore advised that a gold currency should be introduced consisting of fifteen, ten and five rupee coins.

In 1868, Colonel J. Carpendale, Mint Master at Madras, suggested that a gold ten rupee coin should be introduced and should be called a ‘Victoria’. However, this idea was not adopted but instead, following the output from the Mansfield Commission, the British and Australian gold sovereigns were declared acceptable by the Treasury at the rate of 10 rupees 4 annas. This notification occurred on 28^th October 1868 at the same time as a request was made for punches and matrices to be provided by the Royal Mint for fifteen, ten and five rupee pieces. On 15^th March 1869 this request was passed to the Royal Mint together with a specimen that had been produced at the Calcutta Mint. On 23^rd March L.C. Wyon submitted drawings of the proposed new coins. These were accepted, and by 23^rd July he was able to report that work had started.

Act XXIII of 1870 authorised gold coins of four denominations: double mohur, mohur, ten rupees and five rupees. No double mohurs were ever issued, but examples of the other denominations dated 1870 exist, and were presumably struck from Wyon’s dies. However, these dies required modification and the Calcutta mint produced new dies showing the date 1862, in line with the then current silver coins.