Numismatics · India · Circulation coinage
Coins of Republic India
Every principal series and RBI-listed type, from the 1950 anna coinage to accessible ₹20 and AKAM designs—with both faces shown.
- Series catalogued
- 14
- Coin types
- 66
- Coin-face images
- 132
- Issue coverage
- 1950–2022
A changing coinage in four forces
Sovereignty: the Lion Capital of Ashoka and indigenous motifs replaced the monarch’s portrait after India became a republic.
Decimalisation: on 1 April 1957 the rupee moved from 16 annas and 64 pice to 100 paisa.
Metal economics: nickel and bronze gave way to aluminium, stainless steel, nickel-brass, and bi-metallic construction as costs changed.
Accessibility: size, weight, shape, edges, numerals, and tactile layouts increasingly helped users distinguish denominations.
The Frozen Series
Independence arrived on 15 August 1947, but British Indian coins remained in use while Republic designs were prepared. This transition retained the inherited non-decimal relationships until the first distinctive Republic series appeared on 15 August 1950.
The Frozen Series is historical context rather than a Republic coin album, so the illustrated catalogue begins with the 1950 Anna Series.
Complete illustrated checklist
Explore every series
Search by denomination, metal, shape, year, or design family. Each album includes the official specifications and paired obverse/reverse images for every listed type.
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Reading the catalogue
Series versus mint varieties
Each card represents a design/specification type in the official circulation series. Date, mint mark, die, metal-composition, and commemorative varieties can make a specialist collection much larger.
Legal tender
The catalogue is historical, not a tender-status list. Coins of 25 paise and below ceased to be legal tender after 30 June 2011; several older designs of valid rupee denominations may circulate together.
Official references & image notes
- Reserve Bank of India Monetary Museum—Republic India Coinage — chronology, specifications, and paired images for the 1950–2011 series.
- Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India—Circulation Coins — denomination sheets and images through the 2019 and 2022 series.
- Press Information Bureau—2019 visually impaired-friendly series — the five denominations, increasing sizes, and twelve-sided ₹20.
- India Government Mint, Hyderabad—2022 AKAM circulation series.
Scope: principal circulating design/specification families, including the 2022 special circulation series. Commemorative themes, proof sets, mint marks, die varieties, and every year combination are outside this catalogue.