India (Travancore) Velli Fanam 1864

The letters 'RV' is a good indicator for the old Indian Princely State of Travancore, located on the west side of the southern tip of India. This particular coin denomination is known as velli fanam, and they were minted in low-grade silver only in 1864. It shows the letters 'R.V.' standing separately instead of in monogram form, as on other issues such as the 2 chuckram denonination, which is rarer and more valuable. The letters 'R.V.' stand for 'Rama Varma (III), the Maharaja of Travancore during this period. The preceding Raja was Rama Varma II, and the following was Rama Varma IV, so this explais the stagnant monogram on these issues.

There is a good thread on these coins over at WorldofCoins.eu.

Values of these coins are low. The catalog gives this assessment:

worn: $3 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $8
well preserved: $25

Use our Important Terminology page to understand how actual buy and sell values are derived from catalog values.
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Coin: 16510, Genre: Islamic Hindu Buddhist, Timeline: World
Created (yyyymm): 201401, Last review: 201600
Appearance: Normal round coin Metallic gray Dark metallic Letters: Latin Flowing style
Years: sort: 1864, filter: 1864 to 1864
Image: india_travancore_velli_fanam_1864.jpg
Tags: marc slicing scripts symbol beading curvy period garland letter reif sammelmarke round swirls periods monograms symbal marke ind arrowheads curves 5th symbels scribble reichsmark arrow marck inde rounds centered diamond vined lettering 2nd initials velli india curl grapes reef fanam certer swirl lining vines wreah centers twirly reicshmark arrows bowed beaded slash simbol curly centre curlicues lined lines kohlenmarke curved caligraphy point markas symbols inscription wreath bar swirly curving dots deuchmark beads diamonds symbles monogram points off squiggley slice sammel grape crossbar curve curlycue wreathed offcenter bars squiggles slanted initals letters wreth sqiggles pearl dreimark mark swoosh triangle rief bead line dutchemark vine pearls curls travancore simble one marks squigle ones squiggly dot outlined scrip inscriptions reichmark deutschemark outline 3rd wreaths scribbles satzmarke slant wreathe wreat lettered center triangles offset dotted script outlining squiggle calligraphy initial triangular