I have a query regarding a British India George VI Half Rupee coin with an off-center strike from 1946, Kolkata Mint. I searched on Google but couldn't find any information about this specific coin. However, I did find details about the 1946 Mumbai Mint version. Could you please help me determine if this coin is rare??
I must preface my comment as being generally speaking because no one can determine value change for this specific coin type except the person or people interested in these errors. You must find a collector who is willing to value it more than a regular strike of it's type and collects off center coins. So to me it is a mere curiosity but I have no interest in purchasing or collecting one. Therefore, generally speaking off center strikes are considered mint errors and are desirable to select collectors and the value is proportional to the degree of the off strike. The most desireable are off strikes that essentially eliminate one side of the rim. Different degees of off set determines the interest and value to these collectors. Your example is relatively minor and still shows much of the rim. So yes, it probably does add value to some collectors and only they can determine what it is worth to them. Notice that after 75+ years of circulation nobody but you found it interesting enough to set aside and take it out of circulation.
Being a medal alignment, the off-centering shouldn't be the same on both sides ?
Here it's symetrical !
Not necessarily. It depends on how the planchet sat in the collar when struck. It was clearly not fully seated thus causing the off center strike in the first place causing different effects on obverse and reverse.
