Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Rupees 1974, KM# 20, Seychelles, Elizabeth II
  • 10 Rupees 1974, KM# 20, Seychelles, Elizabeth II
Description

Although Seychelles was controlled by the British beginning in 1794, Britain did not assume full control until 1810. Their rule was formalized in 1814 with the Treaty of Paris. In 1903, Seychelles became a Crown Colony but was still controlled by the British government. Seychelles became an independent republic within the Commonwealth of Nations on June 29, 1976 and is currently known as the Republic of Seychelles.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. country name right.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

ELIZABETH II SEYCHELLES
1974

Reverse

Depicts a green sea turtle swimming, the denomination above, and an inscription with the date below in front of a spiral ribbon.

The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. The common name refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, due to its diet strictly being seagrass, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black.

Engraver: Suzanne Danielli

10
RUPEES

Edge

10 Rupees

2nd portrait, Crown Colony
KM# 20 Schön# 20
Characteristics
Material Cupronickel
Weight 28.8 g
Diameter 38.5 mm
Thickness 3.3 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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