Coins Grading

Coin grading is very important to mark a specific coin as authentic and it's value. An authentic coin without being graded by an official coin grading authority has a lower value as a coin that is graded by them. Coin grading is done by giving a certain code to the coin. Once graded by an official coin grading company the coin will be placed in a sealed plastic box with the grade of the coin inside the box on it. But what do these codes mean...here is a complete coin grading code list,
State of the Coin	Grading Code	Grading Explanation
Fleur du Coin	FDC	This only applies to proof coins and these coins are absolutely perfect, without any marks, wear or blemishes.
Mint State	Unc	The UNC graded coins are uncirculated and have totally no trace of wear.
Almost Uncirculated	AU	AU graded coins have a small trace of wear visible on the highest points.
Extremely Fine	XF or EF	XF grade coins (or EF) have a very light wear on only the highest points.
Very Fine	VF	VF grade coins have a light to medium wear. All major features are sharp.
Fine	F	F grade coins have moderate to heavy even wear. The coin design is clear and bold.
Very Good	VG	VG grade coins are well worn. The design is clear, but flat and with lacking details.
Good	G	G grade coins are heavily worn. The design and legend are visible but faint in spots.
About Good	AG	AG grade coins have a outlined design and parts of date and legend worn smooth.
Fair	Fair	With a coin that has been graded as fair you can identify the coin as to it's type.
Basal State	Basal	With a basal graded coin you can identify the lump of metal as being a coin.
Most coin collectors are collecting coins who are graded VG or better since the design should be recognizable. The higher the coin grade of authentication, the higher the value of the coin will be when sold.

• 1835-1947 
     3 Pies = 1 Pice 
     4 Pice = 1 Anna 
     16 Annas = 1 Rupee 
     15 Rupees = 1 Mohur 
• 1950-1957 
     4 Pice = 1 Anna 
     16 Annas = 1 Rupee 
• 1957-1963 
     100 Naye Paise = 1 Rupee 
• 1964- 
    100 Paise = 1 Rupee

The Nizam coins

The Princely State of Hyderabad was founded around 1724 when Mir Qamar-ud-Din, the Mughal Viceroy of the Deccan, assumed independence under the title of Asaf Jah and founded the dynasty of the Nizams of Hyderabad. In the post 1857 era, the State of Hyderabad was one of the largest Princely States in India and later came to be known as the 'Dominion of His Exalted Highness, the Nizam'. The State which covered territories presently included in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka was assimilated into the Indian Union in September 1948. In matters of currency and coinage, the coins of the Nizams were issued in the name of the Mughal Emperor till 1858 when a coin legend was introduced with the name of the founder of the state, Asaf Jha. Thereafter, they were struck independently and the new coins were termed the 'Hali Sicca', i.e., the current coins. In 1903-04 coins were machine struck for the first time. These coins featured the Charminar on the obverse with Persian inscription Nizam-ul-mulk Bahadur Asaf Jah around it. The reverse carried the value. These coins confirmed to the British coins in denominations and metals.

Coins of Hyderabad

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
Ashrafi
Rupee
8 Annas
4 Annas
2 Annas

Urdu Numbers and the Islamic Years

I was trying to get the info of a one rupee coin of the Nizam's age. As Urdu / Persian is the official language of the Hyderabad Nizams. My first step is to know the numbers of Urdu.

After searching over internet, i got the following details:

I was successfully able to read the year on the One rupee coin. But to my surprise it was showing as 1338.

How come, the princely state of Hyderabad itself was founded around 1724. After doing a bit of reading i understood about the Islamic years.

The first year was the Islamic year beginning in AD 622 during which the emigration of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina, known as the Hijra, occurred. Each numbered year is designated either H for Hijra or AH for the Latin anno Hegirae (in the year of the Hijra); hence, Muslims typically call their calendar the Hijri calendar.

In Arabic, Hejira (Hijra, Higira) means the “Flight”

The name of the Mohammedan era (A.H= Anno Hegirae) which commenced on July 16, 622 AD (Julian calendar) when Prophet Muhammad ‘fled’ from Mecca, escaping to Medina (both in Saudi Arbia) to persecution from the Koresh tribesmen. Hegira is based on a lunar year; the Hegira is 11 days shorter. As their calendar is reckoned by the lunar year of 354 days, which is about three percent (Precisely 2.98%) shorter than the Christian year, A formula is adopted for convert Hejira year (AH) into Christian year (AD)

Subtract date 3% of the Hegira year and than add 622 to the subtract date, for example:

Aurangzeb’s enthrone date is 1069 AH

Than AD as follows:

AH 1069

Subtract – 32.07 (3% of 1069)

—————————————————-

= 1036.93

Add 622.00

—————————————————-

Total = 1658.93 Say 1659 AD

For more information read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Islamic_years

There are many online portals where you can convert Hijri calendar to Gregorian calendar. Following is one such portal:
http://www.islamicfinder.org/Hcal/index.php

So 1338 AH in Hijira Calendar comes around 1919 AD.
....

The symbol inside charminar is the Persian alphabet O (Stands for Osman).

Osman Ali Khan Coins

 


Mahboob Ali Khan



The number '92' which is inscribed on most of the coins of Mir Mahbub Ali Khan is the sum total of the numerical value assigned to each alphabet (as per the Abjad system ) of the word 'Muhammad'... So '92' is a reference to the Prophet Mohammad (M H M D = 40 +8 + 40 + 4 =92)

Emperors of British India

List of British Emperors/Empresses of India: