Posted January 28th, 2012 by admin
It has come to our notice that fed up with coin shortage, some people in Mumbai have minted a large number of private one rupee and two rupee coins. According to the news:
Fed up by the constant shortage and increasing black-marketing of coins, wholesale traders in South Mumbai have minted their own coins and are using them as currency. So far 50,000 coins of Re1 and Rs2 denominations have been minted and are being distributed in the wholesale markets in Bhendi Bazaar and Masjid Bunder.
Continue reading “Illegal Minting Of Private Money In Mumbai” »
Posted February 24th, 2011 by admin
Money (coins, printed currency, electronic currency) is an object that using which one can buy things, services, and a host of other non material things. Whether it is in the form of gold or silver coins, printed notes, or electronic currency, the net “worth” of any given unit of money is always more than the actual worth of the monetary unit.
While India was relatively free of coin-forgery till the 1990s, and though most of the forgeries were of paper currency, the fast-growing numismatic and tourist market has resulted in a boom for counterfeiters also.
Continue reading “Indian Coin Forgeries: Free Ebook” »
Posted January 12th, 2011 by admin
While silver Punch Marked Coins were used all over India at least from BC 600 to BC 200, the coinage of India underwent a drastic change from 200 BC onwards. For the first time the coinage split into two distinct coin families: the North Indian Coins and the South Indian Coins.
This is because by invaders started attacking and subduing the northern part of India by this time, and they heavily influenced the coinage and monetary system in the North of India. Very few invaders went to south beyond what today is called the Maherashtra sate. Thus the coinage in the four southern states evolved almost totally independent of the coinage in the North. The divergence was so great that even a person uninitiated in numismatics can spot the difference easily.
Continue reading “Indian Coins: North South Differnces” »
Posted December 9th, 2010 by admin
Reverse Legend (the wording on the back of the coin)
Again, spelling COUNTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One letter can throw off the whole attribution. Note length of the legend, note breaks in the legend, the whole legend is a big key in the attribution. The wording of this legend will most likely tie into the Reverse Device.
If you are using a book like Roman Imperial Coinage (RIC) knowing the issuer and cross referencing the reverse legend from its index to the pages where the issuer is listed one can cut down the amount of different pages that need to be looked at.
Continue reading “How To Attribute Indo-Roman Coins 002” »
Posted December 9th, 2010 by admin
You can identify or “attribute” your coin with knowledge of the following characteristics of it. These six points will help you to pinpoint the ruler it was issued under, the type of coin, the denomination and possibly the time and place of its minting.
Physical Characteristics
Obverse Legend
Obverse Device
Reverse Legend
Reverse Device
Mint Mark and/or other markings
Continue reading “How To Attribute Indo-Roman Coins 001” »
Posted November 22nd, 2010 by admin
Shastri JC Philip
India is one of the oldest civilizations, and at least 5000 years of its history is available in fragmentary form. Money, exchange, and rudimentary financial systems are mentioned in books written around 1000 BC, which means that it is one of the earliest countries to evolve a metal-based financial system. By 300 BC it had its own manual of economics written by the great thinker Kautilya (c 350–-283 BC).
Barter was the earliest method of transaction and it continues as a system of transaction even today in remote Indian villages. Cowrie shells were used as currency in certain parts where very high quality Cowrie shells were available in the seas. Since getting these high-quality Cowries was a labor-intensive job, their demand as currency was high. Such high quality cowries have become rare, and therefore they continue to enjoy demand among rural folk even today as currency or as precious items of personal decoration.
CowrieShells: Commonly called Cowrie, high quality cowrie shells are used even today by tribals in India for transaction
Continue reading “Early Money In India: A Survey” »
Posted May 10th, 2010 by admin
Die alignment, also called die axis or coin rotation, is expressed in degrees and describes how the obverse and reverse dies were aligned to each other when the coin was struck. Some publications use arrows to describe die alignment.
Continue reading “Die alignment” »
Posted April 22nd, 2010 by admin
Picture: A coin of Muhammad bin Tughlaq
During the Delhi Sultanate, several Turkic and Afghan dynasties ruled from Delhi, including the Mamluk dynasty (1206–90), the Khilji dynasty (1290–1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320–1413), the Sayyid dynasty (1414–51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451–1526). In 1526 the Delhi Sultanate was absorbed by the emerging Mughal Empire.
Continue reading “Delhi Sultanate And Its Coins” »
Posted February 12th, 2010 by admin
Picture: An early silver coin of Uttama Chola found in Sri Lanka showing the Tiger emblem of the cholas
The Chola dynasty was a Tamil dynasty which was one of the longest-ruling in some parts of southern India. The earliest datable references to the dynasty are in inscriptions from the 3rd century BC left by Asoka, a northern ruler; the dynasty continued to reign over varying territory until the 12th century AD.
Continue reading “Indian Coins: Chola Empire” »
Posted February 5th, 2010 by admin
Picture: Coin of Shahi Kings of Kabul & Gandhara : Spalapati Deva , circa 750 AD -900 AD. Obv: Recumbent bull facing left, trishula on bulls rump, Devnagari Legends: Sri Spalapati Deva. Rev: Rider bearing lance on caparisoned horse facing right.
The Shahi (Devanagari शाही), Sahi, also called Shahiya dynasties was one of the Middle kingdoms of India which ruled portions of the Kabul Valley (in eastern Afghanistan) and the old province of Gandhara (northern Pakistan) from the decline of the Kushan Empire in third century to the early ninth century. The kingdom was known as Kabul-shahan or Ratbel-shahan from (565 – 670 CE) when the capitals were located in Kapisa and Kabul, and later Udabhandapura (also known as Hund) for its new capital.
Continue reading “Coin of Shahi Kings of Kabul & Gandhara, India” »
