Farmer finds Victorian coins while digging for areca plantation

Eighteen silver coins, issued more than 170 years ago in the name of Queen Victoria, were found on Tuesday in Mittabagilu in Belthangady taluk in Dakshina Kannada district while a farmer was digging earth at the site of a dilapidated building.

The Department of Archaeology, Museums and Heritage is awaiting the transfer of the coins to its custody “after due legal process”. The coins date back to 1836, 1840 and 1845. Some coins bear the name as Queen Victoria and some as Victoria Empress. A few mention the East India Company. All of them have “One rupee” embossed on them.

Historical value

K.M. Lokesh, Professor and Chairman of Department of History at Mangalore University, said the discovery was significant historically though not a surprising. It was possible that only the zamidars (landlords) had access to one rupee coins (as their value was very high in those times) and could have buried them underground to protect them from thieves – a common practice in those times.

He said that after the defeat of Tipu Sultan, the region around Mangaluru was with the British since 1799 and gradually British coins began to replace Persian coins. In 1834, Kodagu was acquired by the British and the region around Sullia was amalgamated to South Canara (Dakshina Kannada).

Three years later, in 1837, a rebellion (Amara Sullia Dange) began, which lasted seven to eight months, and ended in several people including its leader Kalayma Swamy being hanged by the British. The rebellion was against monetising of the economy – British had started asking people pay taxes in the form of money instead of grains – and their judiciary and monopoly over tobacco.

The police, who are in possession of the coins, said farmer Dharmaraj Shetty found the coins while digging the earth for areca plantation, and surrendered them.

Curator of the Seemanthi Bai Government Museum here said the coins used to be issued by the Governor General of India. As per the existing laws, the coins found during digging had to be transferred his department through the Deputy Commissioner of the district, after ascertaining that there was no claimant. The police said they would be sent to the Deputy Commissioner through the local tahsildar.