(AI generated translation of सिक्के : बहुत बड़ी दौलत)

by Shikha Tailang

Metal: Coin collection is a hobby that everyone can adopt according to their financial status. If the coin is of gold, then generally its price is more than the current price of gold and if it is rare, then the saying ‘icing on the cake’ comes true. The same thing applies to silver, bronze and copper coins. However, while investing in coins of a particular metal, it is necessary to know how pure they are and how old they are. For example, the gold coins issued by the rulers of the Gupta dynasty are now considered to be in the rare to extremely rare category and their price goes into lakhs of rupees.

It is very difficult to see the markings on very old coins clearly. However, they can be cleaned carefully and by adopting appropriate measures.

Thus, people who are interested in this hobby can benefit in many ways. They can learn about the history, art-culture, politics, economy, language etc. of a country through coins. Apart from this, they can earn a lot of money by buying and selling them. In such a situation, if it is said that coin collection is such a hobby in which there is a confluence of Saraswati i.e. knowledge with Lakshmi i.e. wealth, then it will not be an exaggeration.

Box-1: Some useful websites related to coins:

www.mintageworld.com

hobbyclues.in

www.coinindia.com

dir.indiamart.com

www.indiancurrencies.com

www.collectorscorner.com

rbi.org.in

marudhararts.com

oswal.auction

www.todywallauctions.com

Box-2: What do coins tell?

History: The period of circulation of coins gives a glimpse of the rulers and political system of that time. For example: The coins that were in circulation in our country during the British era tell us that our country was first ruled by the East India Company and then by the British crown. Similarly, the coins used by the Kushans, Mughals etc. are a source of good information about the rulers of that time.

Art and Culture: In terms of art and culture, the coins that were in circulation during the Gupta period are considered to be unmatched. In some of these, Samudragupta (330-380 AD) is shown playing the Veena. This shows that in the period of Samudragupta, singing and playing instruments were given ample encouragement. Similarly, the coins with zodiac signs that were in circulation during the period of Jahangir (1569-1627 AD) prove that the ruler of that time had a keen interest in astrology.

Economy: Generally, the metal of the coins tells how the economy of a particular period was. The Gupta period described in history is also called the Golden Age. One of its reasons is also that during the time of the Gupta rulers, the condition of trade and commerce was good and most of the transactions were done in gold coins. Then the economy gradually deteriorated and the adulteration in gold coins increased.

Language: The script inscribed on the coins gives authentic details of the language prevalent in a particular period. For example: The coins that were in circulation in the first-second century in our country tell that the Brahmi script was in use then. Then the coins issued by the Indo-Greek rulers show that the ruling class gave importance to the Greek language. Various information was written in Arabic-Persian on the coins in circulation during the Mughal period.