Indian? coin?

[Guest Rob]

HI. I've a modern shilling sized coin, same diameter and about the same thickness allowing for striking variations. It weighing 5.83g and has a woman with 4 arms standing in a lotus flower on water with 1 large swan behind to the right and 2 smaller swans with a cygnet to the left. In the distance are low lying hills and this is all within a beaded circle 17.5mm dia. Around this is an arched design for just under 3/4 of the circumference and a narrow raised rim. Below is some sanskrit or similar inscription. The reverse has a similar inner beaded circle of just under 17mm with a different arched design outside split into 4 equal parts by inscriptions. Inside this is a background of slightly swirled lines with larger inscription overlaid with a smaller inscription looking like a sanskrit 1 followed by a more conventional 1 both inside a smaller beaded circle. At 6 o'clock inside the outer circle is another small circle with IVR. The edge is plain. I'm struggling and have been through K&M a few times to decipher the legend without success. The pinkish toning suggests to me it could be silver as opposed to cupro-nickel and the weight is approximately correct for this material. I haven't a clue how to send pictures unless as e-mail attachments so can't help with these. Any ideas are welcomed. Thanks.

[Rob]

help please. what is it?

[Rob]

And the other side. thanks.

[Peter]

Iteresting coin Rob....but nothing to google on.

[Chris Perkins]

I'd say it looks Thai, Burmese or Cambodian, or something around that way.

[Rob]

I'd say it looks Thai, Burmese or Cambodian, or something around that way.

I thought it could be Burmese or Singalese although 4 armed women and lotus flowers strongly suggests India. It belonged to my father and he probably picked it up in the far east after the war. When he was released from a POW camp in Thailand at the end of the war, he returned home via Rangoon and Columbo hence the above assumption. The other thing that struck me is that it could be a railway token of some sort. NR - Northern Railway or National Railway. There is or was a Northern Railway in India. Burma used Indian coins until full independence in 1948, Ceylon used regal issues.

[kuhli]

just a guess, but the image on the obverse is Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth (it's an elephant on the right, not a swan). noting the swastika in the top legend of the reverse would put this as Bengal (northeastern) India, perhaps Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet. Without anything that looks to be an official name or origin on your piece, I would tend to think that it may be a token for the "Diwali Festival" (New Year's Festival).

[Rob]

just a guess, but the image on the obverse is Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of Wealth (it's an elephant on the right, not a swan). noting the swastika in the top legend of the reverse would put this as Bengal (northeastern) India, perhaps Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet. Without anything that looks to be an official name or origin on your piece, I would tend to think that it may be a token for the "Diwali Festival" (New Year's Festival).

Thanks Kuhli, that isn't a million miles from Burma so could explain how he acquired it. Now for my next question. What does all the inscription mean?