1904.] Numismatic Supplement. 115 
upon my attention the copper coin difficulty similar to that I noticed 
at Ringnode. In this pargana, the copper coins current are th e 
Allote ” pice. It is very strange that Allote, a pargana subordinate 
to Dewas, Senior Branch, should have a copper currency of its own* 
Whatever may have been the case before the adoption of the British 
Indian currency in the State, it is certainly inexplicable how, after 
1'hat event, the Senior Branch should not only maintain the Allote 
copper currency, but even go on manufacturing new pice and putting 
them on the market, I at first thought that, although the Allote 
pice are still current, they must be the relics of times prior to the 
introduction of the British Indian coinage; but on careful inquiry 
I learn that they are manufactured anew from time to time, and 
I have actually secured a number of brand-new ones from a shroff? 
who vouches for their being not more than one month old. I examined 
the shroffs whole stock—several bagsful—and found “ Allote ” pice 
of different degrees of oldness or newness, call it what you like. 
The shroff tells me that at this very moment the manufacture is going 
on at Allote. To corroborate his statement, I actually sent for the 
artizan who is employed in the Senior Branch for the manufacture 
and have had it verified. He gets Its. 7 a maund when he makes 
pice from plates of copper, and Rs. 3 when he simply coins ready 
pieces. The Allote tahsil turns out pice with a particular mint 
mark (an image of Siva with a “ Bael ” tree). The difference between 
the metal-value and token value, I presume, comes to the State as 
profit. The manner in which they manufacture the ‘ Allote ’ pice is 
this : They either cut up new plates of copper of the required thick¬ 
ness into pieces and strike the impression upon them, or recently? 
since plates have become dearer, they use for this purpose the copper 
coins of some of the neighbouring States, which are similar to the 
Allote pice in all respects, except the impression—such as the Kotah 
pice, the Gangrar pice, the Sitamau pice,-the Sailana pice and so on. 
They get these pice, and after effacing the first impression, produce 
the £ Allote ’ impression on them, and then the pice pass off as ‘Allote’ 
pice. They get the former at 36 annas, which when converted into 
Allote pice sell at 32 annas. The difference, less cost, of conversion, 
is the Senior Branch’s profit.” 
Note by the Superintendent of the Dewas State, Senior Branch . 
1 . There are no means to ascertain as to the origin or exact 
date from which this pice was introduced in the pargana: the oldest 
surviving residents declare they have seen it current for generations 
past. 
