When you’re collecting Coins of India, Study the Evolution of Coinage

Everybody loves collecting coins of India but many of them do not really know how coinage evolved over the years in the Indian subcontinent. If you are a true numismatist, you will take some efforts to understand this aspect about Indian coins. It all started when cowrie shells and beads were used for transactions. Barter system was prevalent before coinage was invented. Barter had its own problems related to evaluating commodities. There was a need for a uniform system that could value all kinds of items for transactions. It is believed that the first coins of India were punchmarked Shatmana coins. They were struck in silver and were rectangular in shape. They belong to Gandhara Janapada and were issued between 600 t0 300 BC.

There were many other Janapadas out there which used to issue coins of their own. These include Magadha, Magadha Mauryan, Ayodhya, Shakya, Kuntala, Kashi etc. You should consider yourself to be lucky if you have an Indian coin belonging to one of these Janapadas. Then there were great ancient empires like Western Kshatrapas, Guptas, Satavahanas etc which also issued some absolutely stunning Indian coins. Gold coins of Gupta period are sought after even today and are sold for great prices at auction houses all over the world.

When it comes to ancient and early medieval kingdoms, Central India, Malwa, Saurashtra, Vidarbha, Narmada valley are some of the prominent territories which issued unique coins in India. Ancient coins of South India is a completely different category altogether. The most famous among them are Pandyas, Banawasi, Pallavas, Chera etc. The Indian subcontinent was attacked by foreign invaders too since ancient times. They captured territories and started ruling over them. Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythian and Kushan coins are also some of the most desired coins of India in the world of numismatics. Apart from mighty Kingdoms, there were independent city states as well like Mathura, Kolhapur, Ayodhya, Taxila etc. Each of these city states also produced unique Indian coins of their own.

We have only touched upon ancient coins as of now. There is a lot more to explore when it comes to medieval and modern coins of India. You will start falling in love with all of them when you start studying about the evolution of Indian coinage. 

Why Your Priceless Postcards Deserve Quality Postcard Collecting Supplies

Bored of your daily routine? Looking to indulge in a new hobby? Try Postcard collecting and you will surely fall in love with it almost immediately. So what if our practical lives don’t allow us to travel across the world, through the hobby of collecting postcards, you can do just that by not travelling too far. Postcards come in various sizes and shapes. They generally have pictures which are symbolic to a particular place or tradition. If you are not able to buy too many postcards when you are travelling, you can ask your friends staying in different corners of the world to get some when they visit you. Doesn’t really matter which technique you adopt, as long as you keep collecting postcards with different unique designs, you will surely have something to look forward to. Don’t forget to buy some quality postcard collecting supplies so that your collection stays as fresh as ever.

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

Some things in life cannot be weighed on money. For a passionate collector like me, postcards fall into that category of things. I make it a point that I store my collection of postcards in quality postcard accessories not matter what. There are two advantages of arranging your treasure in a postcard storage album. One is that you will be more organised as a collector and the second of course is that your postcards will not come in contact with moisture or dust. Apart from that, there are fewer chances of losing your favourite postcards when you arrange them nicely in postcard accessories like a postcard album, postcard plastic pockets or postcard plastic sleeves. As you slowly start growing your collection, you can simultaneously start making some pen friends from different parts of the world. This will enhance your collection even more. These days it is very easy to take printouts and make postcards. But there is absolutely no fun in doing that. I don’t mind waiting for months to add a new original postcard to my postcard storage album, but I will never make fake postcards.
 
You just have one life to live. Do something enjoyable. Start collecting postcards and you will realise the joy of owning something personal and priceless at the same time. 

Old notes of India – Categories and Tips All at One Go

If you’ve just started collecting old notes of India then you’ll have to do some research that will help you build a better collection. For that, you will first have to understand the various categories of Indian banknotes. Currency notes of India can be broadly classified as Early bank Notes, British India issues, banknotes issued by Princely State, Colonial issues and notes issued by Republic of India.

Early banknotes can be further classified based on three presidencies that were created by the East India Company for the sake of better administration. Each presidency, namely Bengal, Bombay and Madras issued notes of their own which were circulated only within a particular region.

British India notes can be further differentiated based on the rulers under which the notes were issued. Firstly, came the Portrait Note of Queen Victoria, then Uniface Notes were issued by Government of India, then the notes were produced depicting King George V and finally notes depicting King George VI were issued.

Osmania notes of Hyderabad were the only rare notes of India that were issued by a Princely state.
Then we had other colonial issues apart from those released by British India. These beautiful notes of India include the Indo-French issues and Indo-Portuguese issues.

Finally, we have the currency notes in India that were released after independence. They can be split into four categories namely Government of India notes, Reserve Bank of India notes, Persian Gulf issues and Haj Pilgrim issues.

Apart from these categories, there are collectors who are only interested in special serial numbers. These serial numbers could be read as birth dates or could have repeated digits. Some numbers are considered to be lucky as well.

Last but not the least, no matter which kind of banknotes you are interested in collecting, condition is of utmost importance. Even a small fold or tear can ruin the market value of rare Indian banknotes. Always store your precious collectibles safely in banknote albums or pouches so that they don’t get folded or torn. So now that you are aware about the various categories of Indian Notes, you can look forward towards building a unique and interesting collection!

Refer Online Museum of Coins to Keep up with the Modern Trends

It’s the era of world wide web. Nobody, absolutely nobody can really escape it. Businesses have flourished ever since online marketing and advertising has taken over. All you have been looking for can be purchased and delivered at your door-steps, with just a few clicks. Each and every sector is undergoing a transformation.  In such a situation, it is very important for you to change as well. Another thing that has happened is information overload. All kind of information is available online. However, the sad part is that you cannot be sure if all that information is coming from an authentic source. When it comes to critical topics like history and numismatics, you can’t really take those chances. It becomes a necessity to rely on trusted sources when you are doing your research. That is where a quality online museum of coins or banknote museum or stamp museum comes into the picture. Generally, portals like these have a well-categorized database using which can browse through a wide variety of coins, banknotes and stamps.
Referring to physical books can sometimes be difficult. You might have to purchase them at a very high cost or might have to join a library. Even after that, you can’t be very sure if you will find everything you need in a single book. Reading research material online can be easier but it is a must to check authenticity. Mintage world is not just an online museum of coins but also a banknote museum and stamp museum where you will find all the information you need under one single roof. Browsing through the website is also very easy and user-friendly. There are search filters using which you can get to a particular coin/ note/ stamp information more quickly. This will reduce the time you invest in research to a great extent. Referring to hundreds or websites can get a bit confusing at times as well. You might end up losing track after a point. It is much better to refer a one-point access like Mintage World.

Like we said earlier, you must change with time. Online is the way to go. Just check the source before trusting any random website or online museum of coins.

Banknote Collecting Supplies and Their Evolution

There is a huge community of people out there who have been collecting banknotes since a lot of years now. The hobby itself might have seen a lot of changes over the years. The items of desire in this hobby also keep changing with time. With respect to general inflation, market value of these banknotes has also shot up gradually. 20 dollars meant a lot back in those days; however, you won’t get to make a decent purchase with that amount today. Amidst all these changes, a few things have remained constant in this hobby. That one thing is the importance of condition and rarity. Banknotes which are preserved well will definitely fare better at auctions a few years down the line. That’s the reason why, the importance of banknote collecting supplies has not faded throughput the years. Every collector wants his or her collection of banknotes to stay as fresh as ever so that they can reap better benefits later on.

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

There were limited types of banknote collecting supplies and banknote accessories some thirty forty years back. Today there is a wide variety of banknote albums and banknote sleeves that you will find in the market. Not just that, there were fewer options to buy back then because only some dealers used to sell these items. These days you will find all kinds of varieties online when it comes to selecting a banknote collection album. Quality would vary depending on the brand you choose. There are certain highly trusted brands in this category which have made their mark in producing good quality banknote collecting supplies. Pricing would also vary accordingly. There is no point in opting for a poor quality local brand. I knew a friend who bought a banknote album from the local flee market. He had to pay the price for it later when some of his precious banknotes got spoilt after coming in contact with moisture. Spend some money now so that you won’t have to repent later on.

When you are living in the 21st century, why not make the most of the technological developments that these times are offering in the field of notaphily as well!

Make Your Kids Fall in Love with Coins of India

Certain things age gracefully with time. No, I am not talking about my grandmother. I am referring to my collection of old Indian coins. With every passing year, they seemingly become more precious. You will be surprised to know how many centuries these beautiful coins of India have lived through after which they have fallen into my hands. I consider myself to be lucky that way. It truly becomes your responsibility to take care of these pieces of history and pass on your hobby to the next generation. It is sometimes difficult to make kids realize the importance of history, especially when they are sucked into their video games and cartoon series. But you must not give up. Find other interesting ways in which kids can be taught about coins in India along with the interesting stories hidden in them.

Stories are something kids would always be interested in. We as parents have to be as creative as possible so that they learn certain important aspects about our history from time to time. You can then show them an interesting Indian coin from your collection. This way, they would be able to relate to what they are studying. Mugging up answers from history textbooks can be taxing not just for kids but for adults as well. Introduce them to the hobby of coin collecting and motivate them to start building their own collection of Indian coins. Once they add a new Indian coin to their collection, you can discuss in detail about the emperor or dynasty who issued them. For example, if they get to see a Gupta Era coin, then you can teach them about Samudra Gupta, Art and Architecture of that era, Literature and scholars from that time period etc.

People generally do not assess the seriousness of this problem carefully. As Indians are quickly adopting western cultures, our rich heritage and tradition face a real big danger of getting extinct one day. It is very important to revive the history of our land so that the present generation starts valuing it. By studying coins of India, children would start taking keen interest in history which will indirectly help us achieve this goal.