1⁄12 Anna East India Company Copper Coin 1835 AD

East India Company, Years of Minting: 1835–1848 CE, Denomination: 1⁄12 Anna, Metal: Copper, Weight: 1.96 grams, Diameter: 18 mm, Reference: KM# 445, About Very Fine.

Obverse: Coat of Arms of the East India Company featuring a shield with the St. George’s Cross, supported by two lions, with a crown above and the company motto beneath.

Reverse: Denomination “1/12 ANNA” within a decorative wreath, with the date below, surrounded by a beaded border.

Issued during the rule of the British East India Company, the 1⁄12 Anna copper coin represents an important phase in the monetary unification of colonial India. Following the Coinage Act of 1835, the Company introduced a standardized currency system across its territories, replacing the diverse regional coinages that had circulated under various presidencies and princely administrations. This denomination, equal to one-third of a pice, was intended for very small everyday transactions and was widely used by common people in local markets and rural trade. The obverse prominently displays the arms of the East India Company, symbolizing the growing political and economic authority of the Company throughout the Indian subcontinent. Struck at major mints including Calcutta, Bombay, and Madras, these coins circulated extensively during a period of expanding British influence before the transfer of power to the British Crown in 1858. Today, the 1⁄12 Anna remains a historically significant collectible, reflecting the commercial foundations of British rule in India and the evolution of a unified colonial currency system.