Name of Object:

Indian Rupee of Empress Victoria (Um al-Bint)

Location:

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (Sharjah)

Holding Institution:

Sharjah Heritage Museum / Sharjah Museums Department

 About Sharjah Museums Authority, Sharjah

Date of Object:

1877

Author:

Unknown

Inventory Number:

SM2004-824

Material(s) / Technique(s):

Silver

Dimensions:

30 mm diameter

Provenance:

India

Description:

This silver coin represents one Indian rupee, minted in 1877. Regal issues of the Indian rupee had begun in 1862, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria, but Indian Rupees had already been used in the Gulf during the mid 19th century, issued by the British East India Company. The currency began circulating in the region as a result of the pearl trade and the gold exchange between local and Indian merchants. Indian rupees were the main currency used in the Trucial States up until 1966.

Type of Object

Silver coin; money

Citation of this web page:

Ulrike al-Khamis "Indian Rupee of Empress Victoria (Um al-Bint)" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2026.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;AWE;ua;53;en

Prepared by: Ulrike Al-Khamis

MWNF Working Number: UA 054