1949, Republic, Pattern Set of 8, of new coinage for the Indian Republic bearing the “Ashoka Lion Pillar Capital”, or the national emblem of India. 1) 1 Rupee, Rev: Man winnowing wheat, 2) 1 Rupee, Rev: Type II, mine worker holding pick in a mine, 3) 1/2 Rupee, Rev: Type II, worker pouring metal in foundry (with structure behind), 4) 1/4 Rupee, Rev: Mine worker holding pick in a mine, 5) 2 Annas, Rev: Type I, Peacock facing left, 6) 2 Annas, Rev: Type II, fantail Peacock, 7) 1 Anna, Rev: Bull standing right & 8) 1 Pice, Rev: Sheaves of wheat. All with English and Hindi legends Designed by Patrick Brindley, (formerly listed by Krause as patterns, KM. Pn5-12, now listed as Pn8-15). A highly important and exceedingly rare complete set of eight patterns.
Only four sets are recorded as having been struck. Another set of these patterns was sold at Baldwin's Auction 71 in September 2011, lot 1609. This set varies from Baldwin's set as it contains two different examples of the rupee coin and one 1/2 Rupee, while Baldwin's set contained only one 1 rupee but two 1/2 Rupees.
India and Pakistan gained independence from British rule in August 1947. The newly founded Pakistan immediately launched its coins in 1948. They were based on designs prepared by Bernard Sinclair-Jones, the British deputy master of Lahore mint. In India, however, the establishment of a Constituent Assembly in 1946 meant that matters relating to national identity were debated seriously, till they were incorporated in the new nation's constitution. As a result, no coins were struck for circulation dated 1948 or 1949. The Constituent Assembly submitted its report in November 1949 and paved the way for India’s national coinage. Till then approximately 460 million pieces of the 1946-47 nickel issue apparently sufficed. It was mooted that in 1950, new designs will be introduced.
In 1949, P.W.M (Patrick) Brindley, the master engraver for the Calcutta and Bombay mints, prepared a fine set of pattern designs for the new coinage. It is not known whether final dies were actually prepared for these patterns, or whether the master matrices were used to strike the coins.
Patrick Brindley (1913-1989) succeeded A. P. Spencer as the master engraver of Bombay and Calcutta mints in 1945 and had already worked on the designs for the 1946-47 coins, contributing a graceful roaring tiger for their reverse. For the 1949 designs, he appears to have chosen a melange of Industry, Agriculture and Heritage (natural and man-made) as its main themes.
In spite of the great appeal of the 1949 designs, each was rejected - some, like the inclusion of the bull from the famous Mohenjodaro seal on the 1-anna, for obvious reasons that the site had now passed in Pakistan. However, the design proposed by Brindley for the 1-pice coin eventually appeared on the rupee coins, after some modifications, and his theme of featuring historic heritage also survived with the inclusion of animals from the Ashoka pillar capital.
Brindley continued to work for the Govt of India mint, Bombay till 1960. He then moved to Khartoum, Sudan, returning to Britain in 1964 and afterwards, moved again to Canada. He continued his vocation at the Royal Canadian Mint and designed many Canadian coins. He died in 1989.
The Spink Numismatic Circular of 1954 reports that only four sets of these patterns were struck. Two now exist in a graded state. The second set, originally from the David Fore Collection, has been graded as “restrikes”.