Some Kachcha Paisa from Central India

[Abhay]

Sometime ago, Salvete (Mr. Barry Tabor), had written an article on Kachcha Paisa from Central India (Mostly from Malwa Region).

In the summary of his article, Salvete has described the following features for a coin to be a "Kachcha Paisa" :

  a.  Underweight.
  b.  Unusually crude calligraphy.
  c.  Meaningless and retrograde legends, often just curved lines.
  d.  Mint name missing, garbled, or replaced by decorative lines and dot groups.
  e.  Inclusion of four-petalled flower in design.
  f.  Overstruck onto an old flan, often Bahmani.
  g.  Find spots, when traceable, indicate a very restricted area of circulation.
  h.  A substantial number of counterstruck and uniface coins are possibly of this class.
  i.   Unusually wide variation in weight
  j.   Hybrid coins struck in Malwa are probably all of this class.
  k.  Found in large quantities around the Ratlam and Sailana area
  l.   Undated.
  m. Type consists largely of a geometric pattern


During the course of time, hunting for Gwalior Coins, I too have come across many of such coins, which can be categorized as Kachcha Paisa coins, based on the above mentioned criteria.

In the next few days, I will be listing some of the Kachcha Paisa coins that I have in my collection. It is quite possible that some of these coins may not be a Kachcha Paisa, and I have failed to attribute the coin correctly. If any of you have some information on these coins, so as to attribute them correctly and with certainty, do share your views.

Abhay

[Abhay]

The first in the series:

Metal : Copper
weight: 16.05 Grams
Size: 20.0 mm
Description: A four petal flower, surrounded by some buds on Obverse
                    A Jawad type Trishul (Trident), Letter "KHA" in Hindi, some date like 12XX

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 02:

Metal: Copper
Size: 27.15 mm
Weight: 13.21 Grams
Description: A twig on the Obverse
                    Ujjain like Dagger on the reverse

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 03

Metal: Copper
Size: 31.9 mm
Weight: 13.05 Grams
Description: A Chhatra on Obverse
                    A trishul on Reverse

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 04

Metal: Copper
Size: 23.4 mm
Weight: 15.9 Grams
Description: A jhar on Obverse
                   A leaf on reverse

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 05:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 10.85 Grams
Size: 22.7 mm


Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 06:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 9.86 Grams
Size: 22.7 mm
Description: A katar on Obverse
                    A Trishul on Reverse

Abhay

[Coinsforever]

Thanks for reviving this subject & topic.

I've read that fantastic article from Barry.

I suggest you may move this thread to "Research board".

Cheers

[Abhay]

Thanks for reviving this subject & topic.

I've read that fantastic article from Barry.

I suggest you may move this thread to "Research board".

Cheers

I don't think that we are doing any research here. I am just sharing my collection of Kachcha Paisa here. So, in my opinion, this topic is best suited here only.

Coin No. 07:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 10.02 Grams
Size: 24.88 mm
Description: A temple like structure on Obverse
                   A Trishul on reverse

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 08:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 11.30 Grams
Size: 25 mm
Description: Sun on top of a Trishul on Reverse
                   

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 09:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 12.55 Grams
Size: 23 mm
Description: A spade shaped leaf on Obverse
                   A flower on top of Trishul on reverse

Abhay

[Abhay]

Coin No. 10:

An important coin - Hybrid Type.

Salvete has used this image in his article. He has described this coin to be a HYBRID COIN.

Excepts from Salvete's Article:

Hybrid Coins.
We frequently find kachcha pice of Malwa on which the designs or types on the two sides have been copied or imitated from coins of two or more distinct states, 'married' together, and a few are illustrated below.  The hybrid coin is a phenomenon that is also a recognised feature of kachcha pice from other parts of India, as already discussed.


Details:

Metal: Copper
Weight: 13.58 Grams
Size: 18.6 X 19.3 mm
Description:  From Salvete's article:
                    Hanuman of Rajod or Dhar on Obverse/ Indore style altar on reverse

Abhay

[asm]

Great thread Abhay. I love these coins.

Salvete was working very hard on the Kachcha Pice and the Hybrid coins when he decided to suddenly retire. His work is only partially done and it would be a great tribute to him if we can move forward on this.........

Amit

[capnbirdseye]

I find them interesting, I'm sure I must have a few amongst my 'unidentified Paisa's)   there seems to be endless lots of those with the double trisul for sale on India Ebay which they usually list as from Mewar

vic

[Abhay]

Mewar, or Udaipur, as they call it now a days, is quite near to Opium Growing areas of Madhya Pradesh, namely Neemuch and Mandasaur.

http://maps.google.co.in/maps?saddr=Neemuch,+Madhya+Pradesh&daddr=Udaipur,+Rajasthan&hl=en&ll=24.542126,74.284058&spn=2.832952,5.410767&sll=24.57127,73.691544&sspn=0.35407,0.676346&geocode=FYVPdQEdWHF2BCkF6lrTgXNmOTGhb7syqcrIQg%3BFYbtdgEdmHFkBCkRRKFQZeVnOTGwaLhVhMLY2w&oq=neemuc&mra=ls&t=m&z=8

As has been discussed in Salvete's article, many of these Kachcha Paisa were illegally minted to fund the growing and cultivation of Opium in the Malwa Region. A great feature of these coins is that they were made in such a way so as to resemble the real coins prevalent in the areas they were intended to be used. The Trishul mintmark was being used extensively on the coins of Mewar, Ujjain, Mandsaur etc.

This could be the reason that the double trisul is a very common feature on these Kachcha Paisa coins.

I find them interesting, I'm sure I must have a few amongst my 'unidentified Paisa's)   there seems to be endless lots of those with the double trisul for sale on India Ebay which they usually list as from Mewar

vic

Abhay