British India, Queen Victoria, Silver rupee

The Indianising of a British queen. In 1862, rupee coins were issued under the authority of the British Crown for the first time. Queen Victoria’s bust on these coins was designed by Leonard Charles Wyon. It is a unique effigy of the Queen, where she wears pearls and a Mughal-style filigree tunic. This ‘Indianising’ was intentional and targeted at Indian subjects, who recognised these elements as the mark of royalty.