Summary

1 Cent, Issued by Straits Settlements, Malaysia, Penang, Malacca, Singapore, 1862
Minted by Calcutta Mint, India

Obverse Description

Head of the Queen wearing coronet or diadem ornamented with a scroll facing left; around, VICTORIA QUEEN. The ends of the coronet are connected by a band which is partly hidden by the hair. The hair is drawn into a knot decorated with beads behind the head

Reverse Description

Within a laurel wreath, ONE / CENT / INDIA / STRAITS / 1862

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

From 1858 the government of the Straits Settlements was taken over from the East India Company by the British Secretary of State with control of coin issues through the Accountant-General to the Government of India. When a further issue of copper coins was requested in 1862 the Calcutta Mint was requested to strike the required pieces. The reverse was re-designed, the previous issue which bore the fixed date of 1845 had included on its reverse the name of the East India Company. The new design referred to India Straits, reflecting control of the Straits Settlements being through India. Again, in accordance with the 1835 ruling, which ordained that the date on the coins reflect the date of introduction of a new design, the date 1862 appeared on all coins struck for the Straits Settlements between 1862 and 1867 when it became an independent Crown Colony (in fact in the case of copper issues, until 1872 as no new copper issues were made in the 1867-72 period).

A significant part of the move to independence was the adoption of the silver dollar coins of Hong Kong, Spain, Mexico Peru and Bolivia legal tender while repealing laws that had made Indian coins legal tender. These copper coins had a limited legal tender up to $1.
Reference: Pridmore, Fred. Coins and Coinages of the Straits Settlements and British Malaya 1786 to 1951, pp.34-41

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