The Coins of India

This little book has been written as an introduction to the study of the subject with which it deals and is intended primarily for Indian readers. At the same time the writer trusts it may be of some service to students and collectors in India and elsewhere as giving a general conspectus of all the more important series of Indian coins. Two objects have been kept prominently in view: (1) to describe the evolution of the coinage itself (2) to show its importance as a source of history or as a commentary upon economic social and political movements. In attempting this certain limits have naturally imposed themselves. Coins purely foreign in fabric as those of the Graeco-Bactrian kings of the Portuguese and of the various European trading companies even when struck and current in India have been rigidly excluded: this exclusion does not however extend to money issued by resident foreigners with the permission and in the style of Indian rulers. For a cognate reason the year 1857 has been fixed as the downward limit in this survey. Again for the sake of simplicity technical topics such as weight-standards and metallurgy have only been touched upon where discussion appeared unavoidable.