Vikas T. asks: Could you please tell me about the silver issues of scindia, nizam, holkar dynasties of India?
You may have a few of these terms confused. The Holkars were one of the three dominant “Maratha” powers that together with the Peshwas and Sindhias were the major land holders in Central India from the 18th and to the beginning of the 19th Century. They lived in the Indian State of Indore. “Nizam” was the term used in Hyderabad, the largest of the “Indian Princely States”, for the ruler.
The silver coins of Hyderabad under the Nizam Ali Khan (1761-1803 AD) was only the Rupee. Subsidiary copper coinage was the Paisa. The Holkars in Indore had a wider variety of silver coinage that consisted of the 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 Rupee as well as the One Rupee. Subsidiary coinage in copper were the Anna. The Holkar Coins of Indore were struck at two Mints and can be distinguished by the following distinctive marks:
-Maheshwar Mint (1767-1803)- Mint Marks- Bilva Leaf on silver coins and Lingam-Yoni on both copper and silver.
-Malharnagar Mint (1768-1878) which was located in the capital, Indore City.- Mint Marks -Bilva leaf (on copper only) and SunFace on copper and silver.
There is a rare Indore issue called the Nazarana Rupee. This was a presentation piece given to visiting dignitaries.
