Indian Tipu Sultan Coin, 1/8 Paise, Elephant Motif

Small knobbly disc, with an elephant's outline barely holding on.

This Tipu Sultan copper coin, one eighth paisa, with an elephant motif is from Karnataka, India. Small copper fractions such as the eighth of a paisa were coins for daily purchases, and the elephant was a favored emblem of power and royalty in South Asia. Compact, lumpy round with a worn, rust-brown and gray surface, revealing the vague shape of an elephant at center. The edges are rounded and uneven, and the surface is rough with tiny pits. It is 0.25 inches in diameter.

Worn smooth by travel, and quite happy about it.