Indian Tipu Sultan Coin, .25 Paise, Elephant Motif

Dark, lumpy disc with the ghost of an animal stamped across it.

This Tipu Sultan copper coin, quarter paisa, with an elephant motif is from Karnataka, India. Tipu Sultan ruled the Kingdom of Mysore from 1782 until his death in 1799, and he issued coins in gold, silver and copper with distinctive designs and dating systems. Thick, irregular round piece in dark brown, bearing a faint raised outline of a four-legged animal and a ragged border. Greenish patches speckle one edge, and the surface is rough and heavily worn. It is 0.5 inches in diameter.

Barely legible, but still making its point.