CoinSchool— Indian Numismatic Reference & Auction Archive
Indian Coin Mint Marks & Date Positions — Complete Guide
How to tell which mint struck your coin — Calcutta, Bombay, Lahore, Hyderabad, Noida and foreign mints — with the exact spot to look on each series. Free reference by CoinSchool.
Victoria Rupee (1862–1901)
Rupee, 1/2, 1/4 Rupee, 2 Annas
Victoria coins come in two portraits — Queen (1862–1876) and Empress (1877–1901). Mint identification depends on the period.
Mark: No mark, or incuse 'C' (bottom of reverse)
Most Victoria rupees without any mark are Calcutta. Some 1877+ issues carry a tiny incuse 'C' on the bottom scroll of the reverse.
Mark: Raised bead (dot) or 'B' (bottom of reverse)
A raised bead below the date, or on the top/bottom flower of the reverse. Later issues: raised or incuse 'B' in the bottom scroll.
Mark: Dots below date (bottom of reverse)
The famous 1862 'dot rupees': rows of dots below the date on the reverse actually encode the true striking year (0–13 dots = 1863–1875). A rupee dated 1862 with dots was struck later.
💡 A Victoria rupee with no mark is usually Calcutta; a raised dot or 'B' means Bombay. On 1862-dated rupees, count the dots below the date to find the real year.
Victoria coins of the same date exist with different DIES, catalogued (after Gupta, 'GK') as bust type / reverse type — e.g. A/I, B/II. The bust type is read from flowers and pearls on the Queen's dress; the reverse type from the PANEL around the value and its FLOWERS.
Mark: Flowers on bodice, jabot pearls (in the legend margin)
Compare the flowers embroidered on the bodice of the Queen's dress, the number of pearls in the jabot (necklace band) and the crown ornaments. Each combination is a lettered bust type.
Mark: Complete vs incomplete panel (bottom of reverse)
Look at the frame (panel) around TWO ANNAS / the value: is the bottom section of the panel COMPLETE or INCOMPLETE (broken)? An incomplete bottom panel may carry a flower in its centre — 'flower in centre of bottom incomplete panel' is a distinct catalogued variety.
Mark: 4-petal vs 5-petal flowers (bottom of reverse)
The small flowers at the panel junctions and in the surrounding scrollwork differ in petal count and shape between dies — a quick way to separate otherwise identical reverses.
Mark: A/I, B/II … (GK numbers) (in the legend margin)
Auction catalogues quote bust/reverse as A/I, A/II, B/II with a GK number (Gupta). The same date in a scarce die pairing can be worth many times the common pairing — check both sides, not just the date.
💡 Victoria varieties: bust type = flowers/pearls on the dress; reverse type = complete or incomplete panel and its flowers. Written as A/I, B/II with GK numbers — scarce pairings command big premiums.
Edward VII Rupee (1903–1910)
Rupee, 1/2, 1/4 Rupee, 2 Annas
Edward VII silver has a clean rule — look at the bottom of the reverse, below the wreath.
Mark: No mark (bottom of reverse)
Plain bottom scroll — no letter or dot.
Mark: Incuse 'B' (bottom of reverse)
A small incuse 'B' in the scroll/lotus at the bottom of the reverse.
💡 Edward VII rupee: incuse 'B' at the bottom of the reverse = Bombay, nothing = Calcutta.
George V Rupee (1911–1936)
Rupee, 1/2, 1/4 Rupee, 8, 4, 2 Annas
This includes the famous 1911 'pig rupee' (the King's elephant looked like a pig; most were withdrawn). Mint rule: check below the lotus at the bottom of the reverse.
Mark: No mark (bottom of reverse)
Nothing below the bottom lotus.
Mark: Raised bead (dot) (bottom of reverse)
A small raised bead below the bottom lotus flower on the reverse. On the popular 1917 and 1918 rupees this dot is what separates Bombay from Calcutta.
💡 1 rupee 1917 Bombay mint mark: a small raised dot below the lotus at the bottom of the reverse. No dot = Calcutta.
George VI Rupee (1938–1947)
Rupee, 1/2, 1/4 Rupee
Three mints struck George VI silver and nickel: Calcutta, Bombay and (from 1943) Lahore.
Mark: No mark (bottom of reverse)
Plain below the date.
Mark: Small dot or diamond (below the date)
A dot (silver issues) or tiny diamond below the date on the reverse.
Mark: 'L' (below the date)
A small 'L' below the date — 1/2 rupee, 1/4 rupee and anna series from 1943–1945.
💡 George VI: dot/diamond below date = Bombay, 'L' = Lahore, plain = Calcutta.
British India 1/4 Anna & Pice (1862–1947)
1/4 Anna, 1/2 Pice, 1/12 Anna, 1 Pice
Copper follows the same bottom-of-reverse convention, with one extra mint — Birmingham (Heaton).
Mark: No mark (bottom of reverse)
Plain.
Mark: Raised bead / 'B' (bottom of reverse)
Bead below date or 'B' on scroll.
Mark: 'H' (bottom of reverse)
An 'H' below the date — private Heaton mint strikes, e.g. the 1943 pice.
💡 'H' on a British India copper coin = Heaton mint, Birmingham (England).
Republic India (1950–today)
All paise & rupee coins
Every Indian coin shows its mint by a small mark directly below the date on the reverse. This is the easiest series to attribute.
Mark: No mark (below the date)
Nothing below the date — the oldest mint (1757) never uses a mark.
Mark: Diamond ◆ (below the date)
A small solid diamond. Proof issues use 'B' or 'M' instead.
Mark: Star ★ / split diamond / dot-over-diamond (below the date)
Three different marks across the years: a five-pointed star ★ (the common modern mark); a SPLIT DIAMOND — a diamond divided into two halves — seen on the 1953–1955 horse pice and other early issues; and a DOT OVER (inside) DIAMOND used in some years. All appear below the date.
Mark: Solid dot ● (below the date)
A thick round dot — mint opened 1988; first coins 1989.
Mark: H, C, ◆ variations… (below the date)
Coin shortages were met abroad: 'H' = Heaton/Birmingham (1985 ₹1), 'C' = Ottawa Canada (1988 25p), oval M = Mexico (1997), M/ММД = Moscow (1998–2001), star-in-circle = Taegu Korea (1985 50p), dot-in-diamond = Llantrisant UK (1985 ₹1).
💡 Republic India mint marks (below the date): no mark = Kolkata, diamond = Mumbai, star = Hyderabad, dot = Noida. Letters mean a foreign mint filled that year's shortage.
Where to find the date
All series
Quick map of where the year is engraved on the common series.
Mark: Reverse, bottom half (bottom of reverse)
Below 'ONE RUPEE' / the value, inside the wreath.
Mark: Reverse, below value (below the date)
Centre-bottom of the reverse; mint mark directly beneath it.
Mark: AH / VS year in legend (in the legend margin)
Hijri (AH) or Vikram Samvat (VS) year woven into the legend — often partly off the flan. The regnal year (RY/julus) may appear on the other side.
💡 On Mughal rupees the date is a Hijri year inside the Persian legend, often only partly visible — compare with archive photos to confirm.
Jaipur vs Jhalawar — the twin rupees
Rupee, 1/2, 1/4 Rupee
Jhalawar (founded 1838) struck rupees deliberately imitating the Jaipur type, so the two are constantly confused. The design and fabric match — only the legend settles it.
Mark: VERTICAL jhar + 'Sawai Jaipur' (in the legend margin)
The jhar (leafy sprig) stands UPRIGHT (vertical) beside the regnal year, and the Persian mint formula reads 'zarb Sawai Jaipur'.
Mark: HORIZONTAL jhar + 'Jhalawar' (in the legend margin)
The jhar lies HORIZONTAL — the quickest visual tell against Jaipur. The Persian mint formula reads Jhalawar.
Mark: Jhar orientation (in the legend margin)
Vertical jhar = Jaipur, horizontal jhar = Jhalawar. If the jhar is off-flan or worn, fall back to reading the Persian mint name, or use the feedback option on Know Your Coin.
💡 Jaipur vs Jhalawar rupee: vertical (upright) jhar = Jaipur, horizontal jhar = Jhalawar; the Persian mint name confirms it.
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