A video (here, here & here) purportedly showing a one-lakh rupee coin featuring the State Emblem of India is being shared on social media with the claim that it is an official coin released by the Indian government. The reverse side of the coin bears an image of Indian reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy and text referencing his 250th birth anniversary. We also received a request to verify this claim through our WhatsApp tipline. Let’s verify the claim through this article.
Claim: Viral video shows a genuine one lakh rupee coin issued by the Indian government.
Fact: The Government of India has not issued a one-lakh rupee coin. The official commemorative coin released in honour of Raja Ram Mohan Roy has a denomination of ₹250. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
To investigate, we first checked the official website of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and historical records of Indian coinage. We found no evidence that a coin with a one-lakh rupee denomination has ever been issued by the Indian government. As of August 2025, the highest denomination coin in general circulation in India is the ₹20 coin, which was introduced in 2019.
However, the government did officially honour Raja Ram Mohan Roy on his 250th birth anniversary in 2023 by releasing a commemorative coin and a postal stamp. Crucially, the denomination of that official coin is ₹250, not ₹1,00,000. This confirms that the coin in the viral video is not a genuine government-issued currency.
It is important to distinguish official legal tender from other items. The Indian government mints (under SPMCIL) do issue special commemorative coins to mark significant events or honour distinguished individuals. These are classified as “Non-Circulating Legal Tender,” meaning they are official but produced in limited quantities primarily for collectors and not intended for regular circulation like normal currency.
In contrast, private entities often produce unofficial memorabilia, such as commemorative tokens or gold-plated replicas. These items are not legal currency, lack any government or RBI endorsement, and are essentially novelty collectibles. While collecting such items is a hobby for some, caution is advised when purchasing rare/old coins or notes online, as these markets are known to be rife with scams. FACTLY has previously covered how such scams operate in detailed articles and videos.
To sum it up, the claim that the Indian government issued a one-lakh rupee coin is false. The official commemorative coin for Raja Ram Mohan Roy has a face value of ₹250.
