Three Extremely Rare Medieval Coins of India Issued by Muslim Rulers

There are some fine examples of Medieval India Coinage that will definitely make you go wow! Today, we take a look at three extremely rare and stunning medieval period coins that were issued by Muslim rulers.

Silver Tanka of Mamluk Dynasty Ruler, Razia Sultan

These extremely rare coins of medieval India were issued by the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi Sultanate during the regime of Raziya Sultan who reigned from 1236 AD to 1240 AD. These round shaped silver tanka coins weighed between 10.8 to 10.9 grams and were die-struck at Delhi mint in 635 AH.  These medieval period coins belonged to the Fi Ahd series and bore Arabic inscriptions. The obverse featured the legend Al-Sultan Al-AZam Shamsa Al-Dunya WaL Din Al-Sultan Al-Mu'Azzam Radiyyat Al-Dunya Wa'L Din, while the reverse depicted the text Fi Ahd Al-Imam Al-Mustansir Amir Al-MuMinin in Arabic.

Gold Tanka of Deccan Sultanate Ruler, Shams Al-Din Muhammad Shah III

Here’s another example of extremely rare Medieval coins of India which were issued by the Deccan Sultanate (also known as Bahamanis) during the regime of Shams Al-Din Muhammad Shah III who ruled from 1463 to 14 82 AD. This round shaped gold Tanka weighs 10.4 grams and belongs to the Al-mutasim series.  They were die-struck in the Anno Hijri year 867. Experts believe that these coins in Medieval India were struck from two reverse dies. The obverse side features the Arabic text Muhammad Shah Bin Humayun Shah al-Sultan (Khallad Mulkahu) where Muhammad is written on the top. The reverse side features the legend Muhammad Shah Bin Humayun Shah al-Sultan (Khallad Mulkahu) where Muhammad is written on the top.

Gold Tanka of Madura Sultanate Ruler, Ghiyat Al Din Muhammad Damghan Shah 

These extremely rare Medieval coins in India were issued by Madura Sultanate during the reign of Ghiyat Al Din Muhammad Damghan Shah, who ruled for four years from 1340 AD to 1344 AD. This marvellous Gold Tanka weighs between 11.8 to 11.9 grams. These round shaped coins of Medieval India were die-struck in the Anno Hijri year 741 at Daulatabad Mint. The obverse side features the Arabic text   Al Sultan Al Azam Ghiyat Al Dunya Wa'l Din Abu'l Muzaffar Muhammad Damghan Shah Al Sultan while the reverse side features the text Sikandar Al Sani Yamin Al Khilafa Nasir Amir Al Mominin, Date written out in margins around the legend with mint name.

The best way to learn about the history of Medieval India is by understanding and analysing the coinage from that time period. So, keep looking for more interesting Coins of Medieval India and do let us know if you find one!

History of Indian Notes – A Quick Overview and Interesting Facts

The earliest notes of India were issued by three banks - Bank of Hindostan which was functional from 1770 to 1832; the General Bank in Bengal and Bahar which was established by Hastings in 1773 and issued notes for two years; and the Bengal Bank which was functional from 1784 to 1791.

Old notes of India issued for Bengal presidency featured designs only on one side initially. Later on, these currency notes of India featured the allegorical female figure of Commerce and designs on both sides.

Bank of Bombay released beautiful currency notes in India from 1840 to 1860. Private and presidency banks were not allowed to issue paper money after the Currency Act came into effect from 1861. These Indian notes were better in quality than notes issued by other banks and they featured a picture of the Town Hall of Bombay. 

The Carnatic Bank, established by Fort St. George in 1788; the Madras Bank, founded in 1795 and the Asiatic Bank established in 1804, came together to form the Bank of Madras in 1843. This bank issued notes of India featuring the vignette of the then Governor of Madras, Sir Thomas Munroe.

The very first British India notes that were issued after the Currency Act belonged to the Victoria Portrait series and featured designs only on one side. These notes were produced out of handmade paper and came with better security features. They were cut into two parts, one part was sent by post and the other half was sent only after the receipt was confirmed.

The unifaced underprint issues were released in 1867 as the earlier notes from Victoria Portrait series were counterfeited on a large scale. The Currency Note Press was set up in Nasik in the year 1928. The press started printing currency notes of India with even better security features.

When it comes to old Indian notes issued by Princely states, Osmania Notes of Hyderabad are the only ones that were circulated. Rare notes of India issued by other colonial powers such as Portuguese bore denominations such as Rupias, Tangas and Escudos. Indian notes issued by the French colonial powers bore the denomination Roupies.

Hope you got a fair idea about the history of Indian notes. So look for these interesting and rare notes of India to put together a brilliant collection.
 

Want to Collect Coins of the world? Follow These Valuable Tips

Collecting world coins is a popular hobby across the globe in which numismatists, researchers, history lovers, and collectors in general, learn a lot about our past. If you want to build an interesting world coin collection, then here are certain tips that can be very helpful in the long run. These tips are applicable for those who have recently ventured into this hobby, as well as those who have been collecting coins since many years now.

Research is a Must
Knowledge is the most vital asset for any collector. To gain more knowledge about coins of the world, you must keep researching and reading whenever you get time. The moment you acquire a new coin, read about its origins, the kingdom which issued it, the history of that particular dynasty and its rulers etc. The next time you find a world coin issued by a ruler from the same dynasty, you should be able to identify it easily. Apart from that, if you have sound knowledge about coins from around the world, no coin dealer or collector will be able to fool you in terms of pricing or market value. This is the biggest advantage you have as a knowledgeable collector.
  
Join Communities
There are several online and offline groups and communities where people discuss about different types of valuable coins from around the world. Once you start meeting these people and discussing about coinage, you will slowly increase your knowledge base. Moreover, you might also get a chance to buy/sell/exchange world coins.

Attend Events
Keep looking for events like coin exhibitions, seminars and auctions that take place in and around your location. Here again, you will gain a new perspective about coins. You might get the opportunity to interact with expert numismatists at these events as well. It is always better to clear your doubts about world coins from these experts, as you can easily get misguided otherwise. 

Maintain and Organize your Collection
Maintaining the condition of coins from around the world is the responsibility of every collector. If you manage to maintain the condition of a rare historical coin for a long period of time, you might be able to sell it for a profit as its market value increases with time. Similarly, it is very important to organize your collection nicely as coins might get misplaced easily, resulting in a loss which you might regret later on.

Now that you’ve read these tips, go ahead and try putting together a world coin collection that everyone is jealous of.

Stamp Collecting Accessories and Their Two Main Categories

Everyone owns certain valuables that they love treasuring. Apart from jewellery and expensive objects there are other things that are priceless because of its emotional value. It could be a gift that a special someone has given you or it could be something that you have collected over the years. For a philatelist or a stamp collector, their stamp collection is their most prized possession. It takes several years to build an impressive collection of stamps but it doesn’t take even a moment to spoil or misplace them. That’s the reason why stamp collectors know the importance of taking care of their collectibles using quality stamp collecting accessories. You can categorise stamp collecting supplies into two main groups.  Let’s take a look at both these categories today.

Measurement and Analysis:
This type of philatelic supplies comprises of accessories that help collectors in handling, studying and measuring various aspects of a stamp. Tongs can be used to handle delicate stamps in an appropriate manner. A Magnifying glass can be used to study the intricate details of a stamp design while a perforation gauge can be used to measure and identify stamp perforations.  There are special Colour Gauges that allow you to classify stamps based on their colour schemes.

Image Courtesy: www.mintageworld.com

Storage and Organisation:
These stamp collecting accessories are basically used to protect stamp collections from unwanted external elements such as dust and moisture. A stamp collection album or stamp stockbooks not only keep your stamps away from dust and moisture, but also help you in organising your collections based on different factors such as country names, themes etc. New stamp stockpages can be added to stamp binders so that you can safeguard your rare stamps dynamically as and when your collection keeps growing.

Non-collectors will never understand the hardships and troubles that a collector goes through while building an interesting set of stamps. They will also never understand what makes a collector pursue their hobby so seriously. If you are a passionate collector, you will pay no heed to people who de-motivate you or put you down. Simply keep believing in what you love doing the most and keep nurturing your collection. 

Four Ancient Indian Coins of South Indian Dynasties and Ancient Invaders

If you are a big fan of ancient Indian coins, then there are certain amazing varieties issued by South Indian dynasties and foreign invaders that you must definitely look for. Let’s explore four such Indian old coins.

Copper Coin of Pandya Dynasty
 
These old Indian coins were struck somewhere between 50 AD and 100 AD during the Sangam Age of Pandya Dynasty.  The square-shaped coins were die-struck in around 4.98 grams of copper. The obverse of this beautiful old coin of India featured a standing elephant facing right in front of a trident. Other three symbols featured above the elephant include jars, a vessel and a chakra. The reverse features an intricately designed fish symbol. 

Copper Coin of Chera Dynasty

These ancient Indian coins were issued in the southern parts of the subcontinent under the Chera Dynasty during the reign of Kongu Chera. These round shaped copper coins were die-struck in approximately 3.5 grams of copper and bore the denomination Kasu. The obverse of these historical coins of India featured a seated Goddess holding lotus flower in both her hands while a bow and arrow can be seen beside the Goddess. The reverse depicts a symbolic form of Narasimha.

Very Rare Silver Drachm of Indo-Greek Ruler Apollodotos

These are very rare historical coins that were issued somewhere between 180 BC and 160 BC by the foreign invaders Indo-Greeks during the regime of their ruler Apollodotos. This square shaped silver Drachm has a weight of 2. 42 grams and belongs to the Elephant type coins issued by this dynasty. These ancient coins of India were Die Struck at Panjhir mint and featured interesting designs on both, obverse and the reverse. The obverse side of the coin depicts a standing elephant facing right, a Greek legend that translates to “Basileos Apollodotoy Soteros" and a monogram below the elephant. The reverse side of this coin features a standing humped bull at the centre facing right, the Kharoshti legend which reads "Maharajasa Apaladatasa Tratarasa", and a monogram below the bull. If you find one of these ancient Indian coins, you are truly lucky!

Sassanian Imitation Silver Dramma

These coins of ancient India were issued between 700 AD and 1100 AD during the reign of Sassanian Imitation dynasty ruler Firuz Imitation Gaddhaiya Series 2. This round-shaped Silver Dramma was die-struck with fascinating designs. The obverse of these Indian ancient coins featured a bust of the King facing right. The unique aspect about the bust is that the head is very narrow and eyebrows become part of the forehead. The reverse depicts a fire altar in the centre, attendants with raised hands, sun in the left field and crescent in the right field, bodies made of dots where the dots symbolise the flame in the fire altar. Hands of the attendants are represented as a semi circle, becoming a part of the altar.

Hope you had fun reading about these four types of ancient Indian coins. Just in case you find one of these or any other Old Coins of India, don’t forget to send us pictures!