Indian Tipu Sultan Coin, .25 Paise, Elephant Motif

Dark, lumpy coin where a trunked animal fades into the background.

This tipu sultan copper coin with elephant motif is from Karnataka, India. Elephants appear on many coins of southern India and are generally associated with royal power, and Mysore copper coins of this period often bear one. Irregular, almost triangular disc in near-black brown with faint coppery highlights. A four-legged animal with a trunk is just visible in low relief, with a vertical device at the right. The edges are rough and chipped. It is 0.5 inches in diameter.

Faded, battered and still keeping its stride.