Madras Mint – Early Coinages –
South Indian System – Gold Star Pagoda 1740 to 1806
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The star
pagoda was introduced in about 1740 and became the standard gold coin of the
Madras Presidency until machinery was introduced into the mint in 1807.
A reverse variety
occurs with the beads arranged in the shape of a pentagon around the star. The
obverse of this variety is certainly cruder than normal coins, and Pridmore
believed that it may have been struck at Fort St David [1].
It is also possible that this could be the type struck at the mints in the Baramahal i.e.