King George V

KING GEORGE V COINS (1911-1936)

George was the Emperor of India. George reigned from 06 May 1910 through World War I (1914-1918) until his death in 1936.

Reign -06 May 1910-20 January 1936
Coronation - 22 June 1911
Predecessor - Edward VII
Successor - Edward VIII

George was born on 03 June 1865, at London. His father was The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII), the eldest son of Queen Victoria.

The marriage of George and May took place on 06 July 1893 at the Chapel Royal in London. On 06 May 1910, King Edward VII died, and the Prince of Wales ascended the throne. George was now King George V and Mary chose the regal name of Queen Mary.

Silver Jubilee of King George V Rule (1910-1935)

Coins were minted in India with the effigy of King George V from 1911 to 1936. Due to the increase in the price of silver caused by World War I (1914-1918) the silver 1/2 Rupee, 1/4 Rupee and 2 Annas were discontinued and new cupro-nickel coins introduced (8 Annas, 4 Annas, 2 Anna) to join the cupro-nickel 1 Anna coin. These new coins were not popular, so the 8 Anna and 4 Anna coins were discontinued shortly after introduction. The 1/4 Rupee and 1/2 Rupee silver coins quickly resumed production.

MINT MARKS GEORGE V COINS

Bombay Mint : Used a small dot on the reverse under the ornate near the bottom of the coin at 6'o clock position.
Calcutta Mint : No Mint Mark used


Copper Coins of George V

Silver Coins of George V

"Pig Rupee" - Really interesting Story

On the 1911 issues of the Rupee, Half Rupee, Quarter Rupee, Two Annas and 1/4 Anna the King is shown wearing a robe with a small elephant on it. This elephant was thought to resemble a pig with the trunk appearing to be a pig snout and the short legs not appearing very elephant-like. This offended the religious sensibilities of many, so most of the Rupees minted for 1911 were withheld from circulation and later melted. The 1912 coins had a redesigned elephant.

 One Rupee (1911-1936)

The Rupee was minted in both Calcutta and Bombay.The first year of issue (1911) has an elephant on the Kings robe that was considered to resemble a pig, thus the variety is known as the "pig rupee" (Type I). This variant is also on the 1/2 Rupee, the 1/4 Rupee, the 2 Annas and the 1/4 Anna coins. The elephant figure was redesigned (Type II) and this design was used on all issues starting in 1912.

1/2 Rupee (1911-1936)

The 1/2 Rupee has the same variety as the "Pig Rupee" for 1911 (only from the Calcutta mint)and has the same placement of the dot mint mark for the issues of Bombay. Minting was briefly interrupted when the attempt was made to replace it with the 8 Annas issue in 1919. The coin was issued in 1919 but not in 1920. Minting was resumed in 1921. It was not minted in 1931 and 1932.

1/4 Rupee (1911-1936)

The 1/4 Rupee also had the "pig" variety in 1911 coin (see Rupee for photos of elephant design). After the 1920 issue it was discontinued and replaced with the 4 Annas. However, after the 4 Annas was dropped the 1/4 Rupee was resumed in 1925.

8 Annas - Copper-Nickel (1919-1920)

 This coin was introduced in 1919 to replace the silver Half Rupee, because of the increased price of silver. It wasn't very popular, though, and due to this and a large number of counterfeits, it was discontinued in 1920 and withdrawn from circulation (it ceased to be legal tender in October 1924). In 1920 it was produced only at the Bombay mint.It is a rare coin for British India Coin collectors.

4 Annas

 
This coin was introduced in 1919 to replace its silver equivalent, the 1/4 Rupee. It was discontinued after the 1921 issue. Unlike the 8 Annas, it was not withdrawn from circulation and continued to be legal tender.

2 Annas: Silver(1911-1917) & Cu-Nickel(1918-1936)

 
The first year of issue 1911 shows the "pig" elephant on the King's robe.Equal to 1/8 Rupee, it was discontinued after the 1917 issue, replaced by the Copper-Nickel version.
This copper-nickel coin was introduced to replace the silver 2 Annas coin, due to the high cost of silver. This was minted through the end of the George V era. It was produced by both the Calcutta mint (no mint mark) and the Bombay mint ("dot" mint mark).

1 Anna - Copper-Nickel (1912-1936)

 
This copper-nickel coin, similar to the Edward VII One Anna coin introduced in 1906, was minted only in Bombay 1912-1920.It had no mint mark during these years. After not being minted for two years 1921-1922 minting was resumed at both mints, with the "dot" mint mark indicating the Bombay mint. The coin was again not minted in 1931-1932.