Indian pie

A Bhopal State postage stamp worth 1 anna and three pies

A pie (abbreviated as Ps) was a unit of currency in India, Burma and Pakistan until 1947. It was the smallest currency unit, equal to 1⁄3 of a pice, 1⁄12 of an anna or 1⁄192 of a rupee. During the mid-nineteenth century, one pie was worth 12 cowry. ^[1]

Minting of the pie ended in 1942, though it remained in circulation for a further five years. The pie was demonetized in 1947 as it had become practically worthless due to inflation during WW2. ^{[note 1]}

Pakistan, however, resumed minting the pie from 1951–1956. In part, this was because the Pakistani rupee was valued higher than the Indian rupee from 1949 onwards, when India devalued its currency to maintain the exchange rate with the Pound Sterling.

Notation

The first number is the number of rupees, the second is the number of annas (1⁄16), the third is the number of pices (1⁄64), and the fourth is the number of pies (1⁄192). Examples are below.

• Rs 1/15/3/2 = Rs 1.9947
• Rs 1/8/3 = Rs 1.546
• Rs 1/4 = Rs 1.25

Notes

• Money portal

1. Until 1966, India was a member of the sterling area, with the rupee pegged to the British pound sterling and having a value of 1s 6d, or 18 (old) pence; a pie was therefore worth 0.09 old pence or 3⁄8 of a farthing in 1947. In 1947, however, a single old penny had an estimated purchasing power of 14 new pence (in 2014 values). Therefore, a pie had a value of 1.3 pence in 2014. (Schedule of Par Values, Currencies of Metropolitan Areas, The Statesman's Year Book 1947, pg xxiii, Macmillan & Co.; measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/)

References

1. Laughlin, J. Laurence (September 1893). "Indian Monetary History". Journal of Political Economy. 1 (4): 593–596. doi:10.1086/250171. ISSN   0022-3808. S2CID   153692183.