One Rupee Victoria Queen Divided Legend 1840 Silver Coin, British India Uniform Coinage, Collectible

One Rupee Victoria Queen – Queen Victoria (1819-1901 CE) was the only daughter of Prince Edward and Victoria, the duke and duchess of Kent. She was preceded by her uncle William IV. Since all of her elder uncles lacked legitimate heirs, it became apparent by 1830 CE that she would eventually be queen. In 1837 CE, she received a call from the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury to be informed that her uncle had died and she was the new Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. She was one of the longest-reigning monarchs in British history (r. 1837-1901 CE) and presided over a period of intense transformation. At the time of her death, the United Kingdom was at the peak of its power, controlling one-fifths of the world’s landmass and a quarter of its population. 

In India, Queen Victoria’s reign was a period of transformative changes. The English East India Company reached the zenith of its power during the early part of her reign. However, a number of factors ranging from the Company’s aggressive policy towards the regional states to the ill-treatment of the native soldiers serving in the Company’s army led to the biggest revolt in British India’s history: the Great Revolt of 1857 CE, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The British were able to crush the revolt and the titular head of the revolt, the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was deposed and exiled. The Mughal rule in India officially came to an end in 1858 CE. The British Crown took over administrative responsibilities of India directly. Queen Victoria was declared ‘Empress of India’ in 1877 CE. 

Various types of coins were issued in India in her name. Coins bearing solely the name of queen Victoria were issued from 1840 CE to 1858 CE. During the British Raj, coins mentioning Victoria as ‘Queen’ were minted from 1862 CE to 1894 CE. Queen-Empress Victoria died in 1901 CE. She was succeeded by her son Edward VII.

The specifications of this coin:

• Weight: 11.66 gm
• Diameter: 30.5 mm
• Shape: Round
• Orientation: Medal Alignment
• Edge: Reeded Edge
• Metal: Silver