Summary

1/4 Rupee, Issued by Bengal, India, 1831-1833
Lucknow sikka of the 45th san with date AH 1204
Minted by Calcutta (the Farrukhabad Mint name does not mean that the coin was struck there)

Obverse Description

Persian legend with the hijri date 1204 on the top line

Reverse Description

Persian legend with the Regnal year 45 on the top line

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

In 1801 the East India Company obtained control of territory once under the Nawab of Oudh and the Nawab of Farrukhabad. To provide coinage for their new territories it was decided to strike a rupee (and fractions) of the same size and silver fineness as the perpetual 19 san sicca being struck at Calcutta for Bengal. The new coin would be known as the Lucknow sicca rupee of the 45th san, a mint was established at Furrukhabad to strike them with the mint name Farrukhabad in the line below the Regnal year. Like the 19 san sikka the date on the 45 san sicca was frozen. In 1817 the right to strike this coin was extended to the Calcutta and Banaras mints. This coin was struck at Calcutta as it bears a small crescent on the obverse near the rim at 9 o'clock - the mint name on the reverse is the standard form for this coin, Farrukhabad. It belongs to the third Calcutta form, with a plain edge. Calcutta continued to strike the 45 san coinage until 1834 with variations of the edge form.

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