Crude Fine, Scarce.

There was no local coinage in Sikkim until the arrival of a number of Nepalese traders in the late 19th century. The Nepalese Pradhan brothers acquired some land and also the right to mine copper. Some of this copper they wished to use for striking coins which they hoped they could use for trade with Nepal and the Darjeling area. The coins, often poorly struck, are similar to contemporary Nepalese copper coins, except for the Sikkim legend. They were struck between 1883 and 1885. The dies bore dates but few of the coins show the date clearly. Parts of a date can be seen on a couple of the present coins. The weights of the issues vary between 4 and 6 g. The present coins weigh 5.58, 5.70, 5.01 and 5.58 g. Some coins have the obverse legend in three lines, other in four lines. This coin issue was not a success as neither the British nor the Nepalese allowed it to circulate within there respective jurisdictions.