A one-rupee coin issued by the erstwhile British Raj over a century ago was met with much ridicule in the country as the design of an elephant on the King’s robes resembled a pig, recollects a well-known numismatist in the city.
“The people of India declined to honour a ₹1 silver coin with a bust of King George V, issued by the erstwhile British Raj in 1911, as they felt that the feet and short tail of the elephant figure resembled a pig, which is considered unclean by Indians. Of the 9 crore coins that were minted, only 7 lakh were issued and the government was forced to withdraw them from circulation,” says G.K. Subrahmanyam, a retired lecturer of Dr. V.S. Krishna Government College and an avid numismatist.
While a majority of the coins were recalled and melted, some remained in private hands, of which two coins found their way into his collection. The withdrawn coins were melted and the coins were reissued with a re-designed elephant figure in 1912. “The alert public forced the British Raj to withdraw the ‘pig rupee’, as it came to be known.
“My parents and senior citizens used to recount how the silver coins used to be collected by people, and melted to make silver plates. As we celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrut Mahotsav’, marking the 75 years of India’s Independence, I thought that this 110-year-old coin and the anecdote of an alert public who forced the government to bow to their wish, would serve as an inspiration for the younger generations,” says Mr. Subrahmanyam.
The numismatist, who has been building his collection for the past two decades, also has several rare photographs of Mahatma Gandhi. This collection had won the appreciation of Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, who gave him an appointment during his visit to the city recently.
