TIBET: AR rupee, ND (1939-42), Y-3.3, cf. L&M-364, Szechuan-Tibet trade issue, large portrait of the Chinese emperor Guang Xu with collar derived from British Indian rupee of Queen Victoria // vertical rosette at center, Chinese inscription, si chuan sheng zao ("made in Sichuan"), branches with cusps and flowers around, a feature also derived from the reverse of British Indian rupees, with Chinese and Tibetan countermark "Li Yong Lam" within rectangular depression, VF. The Sichuan rupees which were struck in Kangding of alloyed silver are occasionally found with countermarks in Tibetan and or Chinese script and marks consisting of Western numerals or the English word "one". The meaning of most of these marks remains uncertain, but we can presume that they were applied to the coins by local authorities, such as monasteries or dzong dpon (district officials) in order to enforce the circulation of the Sichuan rupees made of low grade silver in a specific area of Tibet.
Estimate: USD 100 - 150