g MS61| India, British India, uniform series, George V (1911-36), gold 15-Rupees, 1918, crowned bust left, rev. value, country and date within floral scroll, 7.98g (Pr. 25; SW 8.1). Graded by NGC as MS61.

NGC Certification 4863615-045

In 1917 permission was granted for a gold Sovereign, dated 1918, to be struck in India at the rate of 15-Rupees and with the mint mark I. It was produced at a branch of the Royal Mint which was established for the purpose in Bombay. Nevertheless, being essentially a foreign denomination it did not prove popular. In 1918 the gold 15-Rupees was authorized with the same size, weight and fineness as the sovereign, and was struck by the Bombay Mint itself, for one year only. The gold 15-Rupees ceased to be legal tender in 1927 and although the mintage figures are higher for the 15-Rupees than for the 1918I Sovereign, the gold 15-Rupees remains the scarcer coin by far for collectors today and is an essential component to any British India collection.

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