Coin India - Simplify Your research by Understanding Basic Categories

 Considering the vastness of Indian Numismatics, it is very important for young collectors to break it down into basic categories so that it becomes much easier to explore the enormous varieties of Indian coins. If you are looking for the right start, then read on, this is the perfect snapshot for you!

Ancient Coins of India:

In the 6th Century BCE, the Indian subcontinent was divided into 22 different Janapadas and each Janapada issued coins of their own. Ancient Indian coin issued by Gandhara Janapada are considered to be some of the earliest coins of the world. These were rectangular silver coin which featured a six-armed symbol at both ends of one side. The other side of these ancient coins of India was left blank. These historic coin were minted using the punch-marked technique. Coming to ancient Indian empires and kingdoms, the Gupta Empire issued some of the most beautiful coins in India from 320 AD to 550 AD. When it comes to South India, Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and Pallavas were some of the most powerful dynasties who also issued various types of ancient Indian coin. Then came the coins of Ancient Invaders like Greco-Bactrian, Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythian, Kushans, Indo-Parthians etc. These amazing coins depict the unique cultures and traditions that these invaders followed.

Medieval India Coins:

When we talk about Indian coins, nobody can miss out on the wonderful coin that were issued by powerful and legendary emperors such as Akbar, Shivaji Maharaj, Tupu Sultan etc. Medieval India coin can be broadly classified into five major groups. Coin issued by the Sultans, the Mughals, Independent Kingdoms, Princely States and Hindu Kingdoms. Coins issued by the Sultans and Mughals featured Persian legends. Some of them even featured beautiful couplets like the ones issued by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Coins issued by Shivaji Maharaj were called as Shivrai. Introducing a new denomination at a time when the Mughals were extremely powerful is considered to be a great achievement. During Shivaji Maharaj's coronation, special Shivrai coins were minted in gold. These gold coin are extremely rare and are sold at auction houses all across the globe.

Colonial India Coins:

After the decline of the Mughal Empire, several European powers started exploiting trading opportunities in India. The most successful of them was the British East India Company who gradually started imposing their power and eventually, India was declared as the official colony of Britain. Initially, coins in India were issued by the East India Company for different circles like the Bengal Presidency, Bombay Presidency and Madras Presidency. After the revolt of 1857, British India coin were officially issued under the Queen's reign. These amazing colonial coin featured a portrait of the Queen or King on one side with the denomination an year of issue on the other side. Apart from British East India Company, several other trading companies like the Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company, French East India Company and Portugal also issued different kinds of coins in India.

Republic India Coins:

Finally, Republic India coins are the ones that are issued by the Government of India after independence in 1947. Old British India coin were circulated as frozen currency until the first coin of republic India were issued in the year 1950. These Indian coins belonged to the Anna Series. Some of them were struck in different shapes like Square and Scalloped. The decimal coinage was adopted in the year 1957, after which both decimal as well as pre-decimal coin were circulated together for a short period of time. The 2 pice coins issued between 1957 and 1964 featured the legend "Naya Paisa" to differentiate them with the ones of the same denomination that were issued earlier.

The history of Indian coin is so vast that it is impossible to learn everything at one go. You will have to select a category and then dive deep into it, by covering one dynasty/ kingdom at a time. By following this procedure, you will get a fair idea about our glorious past.

Simplify the study of Coins of India by exploring the broad categories of Indian coinage in brief. If you are looking to pursue Indian numismatics seriously, this article is exactly what you need to get started. Understand the basics of Indian coinage so that you can research about the innumerable varieties of coins systematically.

Why Collecting Coins of India is the Most Satisfying Hobby

Stress has become a major part of our lives and we all like indulging in a hobby or activity that relieves our tension. Some like to draw, some like singing while many others like to play a sport. Coin collecting is one of the very few hobbies out there which doesn’t just bring in joy in your lives but also increases your general knowledge. Through the study of Indian coins, children can learn a lot about our glorious past. There is a different kind of thrill that can be experienced while holding a piece of history in your hands like an Indian coin. The activity is much better than mugging up history text books just for the sake of scoring marks in examinations.

Coins of India come in numerous varieties and each one of them has some hidden historical significance. Right form ancient times, various Janapadas such as Gandhara Janapada, Mauryan janapada etc issued exquisite Indian coins. If you have a coin of India issued during the Gupta Era then you can learn about several interesting facts related to the Golden Era of Indian history. Similarly, even during medieval times, great kings and emperors like Shivaji Maharaj and Akbar issued some amazing coins of India. By reading and studying the inscriptions on these coins, you can analyse the chronology of historical events and succession of kingship within a kingdom. You will also be able to discover insights about cultural, traditional and religious influences associated with a particular time period, region or dynasty. Understanding Indian coinage and collecting Indian coins is the best way to learn about the rich diversity of our culture.

There are many other benefits of collecting coins as well. For example, if you have a precious and rare coin of India in your collection, then you can make some extra income by selling it through online auctions. Moreover, you will also get a chance to interact with other experts and experienced collectors from the field of numismatics which will in turn improve your knowledge about Indian coins. So, don’t waste any more time, if you are thinking of starting a new hobby, there can’t be anything better than collecting coins of India.

Learn About the Different Categories of Indian Coins Before You Start Collecting

Coins of India come in innumerable varieties and it is almost impossible to study them if we don’t have a clear understanding of their categories. Whenever you add a new Indian coin to your collection, research about its variety first and then dig deep into its history. The more knowledge you acquire about coins In India, the better your collection would be. Let’s take a look at the major categories and sub-categories of Indian coins today.

Ancient Coins of India
The first level of categorisation is based on time period namely, ancient, medieval, colonial and modern. Ancient coins of India can be further classified as coins issued by Janapadas, the ones issued by Indian Empires, Kingdoms or Dynasties, Ancient Indian coins from the southern part of the subcontinent, coins struck by Ancient invaders and finally the coins produced by ancient city states of India.

Medieval Period Coins of India
Medieval India coins can be further classified as coins issued under the Delhi Sultanates and other sultans, Medieval India coins issued by the Mughal Empire, coins struck by the Indian princely states and coins produced by Hindu Empires and dynasties like Marathas, Vijayanagar etc. during the medieval period.

Indian Coins from Colonial Period
Colonial coins of India are the ones that were struck under European powers and trading companies like Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company, French East India Company, East India Company, Madras Presidency Coins, Bengal Presidency Coins, Bombay Presidency Coins, British India, Indo-Portuguese, Kingdom of Portugal, Republic of Portugal and Ceylon.

Republic Coins of India
Finally we have the modern coins in India that were issued and circulated after India got
independence from the British Regime on 15th August 1947. These coins can be further classified into two groups namely, Anna series coins of India and republic India coins that follow a decimal coinage system.

Each of the subcategories mentioned above can be further divided based on the names of rulers and dynasties. Now you can imagine how vast Indian numismatics is. The idea is to keep researching about each of these varieties so that you can build an impressive Collection of Indian Coins. Pick up a category of your choice and start building a series based on its subcategories.

4 Amazing Coins of India form 4 Different Eras

There is something about Coins of India that make them extremely desirable among numismatists and coin collectors form all over the world. Each of these beautiful Indian coins has a lot of historical significance. They also share a lot of information about the traditions and cultures followed during a particular era. Based on time period, Indian coins can be classified into four main categories namely, ancient, medieval, colonial and modern. Let’s take a look at some of the most amazing coins of India belonging to each of these four categories.


Ancient Coins of India

Gandhara Janapada was one of the earliest Janapadas that existed from around 600 BC to 300 BC. The silver Shatamana coins issued by Gandhara Janapada are considered to the earliest coins of the world. These coins were rectangular in shape and weighed around 11.5 grams. The weighing standards were maintained by using rati seeds. These rare Indian coins featured designs only on one side. The other side depicted two six-petal flowers on the two ends of the elongated planchets. The design was imprinted on the planchet using the punch-mark process.

 Indian Coins of the Medieval Period

The Gold Hon coins that were issued during the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj are extremely rare. These beautiful medieval India Coins were made out of 2.9 to 3.5 grams of gold. These coins were die-struck and featured Devanagri legends on both sides. The Devanagri legend on the obverse reads Shri Raja Shiva within row of dots.  The Devanagri legend on the reverse reads Chhatrapati within row of dots. Many auction houses around the world have sold this coin for a very good amount.

 Old Indian Coins from Colonial Era

The British East India Company had issued Gold coins of the denomination 1 Mohur featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria on the obverse. These extremely rare Indian coins issued in 1841 weighed around 11.66 grams and had a diameter of 26 millimetres.  These coins were die-struck at Calcutta Mint featuring the bust of Queen Victoria on the obverse and the continuous legend: VICTORIA QUEEN 1841, within a raised, toothed rim. The reverse depicted a standing lion facing left with a palm tree above. Other inscriptions included EAST INDIA COMPANY, ONE MOHUR and YEK ASHRAFI in Persian, within a raised, toothed rim.

 Republic India coins

The Government of India had issued a 50 Paise stainless steel coin in the year 2013 at Kolkata Mint. These Republic India coins are scarce and featured the emblem of India flanked by BHARAT in Devanagari and INDIA in roman on the obverse. The reverse depicted the denomination 50 PAISE in English as well as Devanagari. The word PAISE is also written in Roman. The year date 2013 is surrounded by flower scrolls. If you spot this Indian coin with no mint mark, you are lucky!

We have only talked about four Indian coins here. There are hundreds of other varieties to be explored!

Coins Of India that Trace Through Our Vibrant Past

India is a unique country that is known all over the world for several reasons. Some of them include the geography and topography of the subcontinent. Since India has a mix of mountains, plateaus and plains, you would find a difference in the kind of communities that have evolved in this part of the world. If you look at the history of India, you would come to know about several invasions and battles. This is a reason why you will see multiple cultures existing in harmony. No wonder why people from all over the world flock down to experience the true colors of India. Imagine a how different Coins Of India would be with so much cultural diversity around. Indian coins are picking up like crazy in the international markets. Collectors at first were not too keen to collect Indian coins because of their irregular sizes and unknown history. But over the recent past, auction trends have spotted favoritism for ancient coins of India. 

Some experts believe that Indian coins are the first ones to be ever struck in the world. These coins of India were called punch-marked coins. From ancient India until now, thousands of coins have been issued in India. Many of which have not yet been discovered. It is through the study of Indian coins that dynasties of various empires have been identified. If it wasn’t for these coins, there was no way how history can be studied so accurately. When ancient coins are discovered, they are put through a dating process which helps in finding out an approximate year in which they were minted. Besides that, many coins of India that were issued in the medieval period featured the year apart from the name of the emperor. 

With the help of coinage, historians have been able to trace through the rich history of India. If you take a journey through our vibrant past, anyone would be fascinated.