Disciplined Collectors Always Buy Quality Philatelic Supplies

There are many people, especially children who want to get into stamp collecting. It is truly an exciting hobby. But if you really want to become a good collector, you must be disciplined and must follow certain rules of philately. The first and foremost rule is that you must be passionate about the hobby. Don’t simply collect stamps just for the sake of it.  You must take some effort and research about the imagery shown on these stamps. You must enhance your knowledge as you keep enhancing your collection. A true collector loves his collection like crazy. He or she would ensure that their precious stamps are stored in good quality stamp collecting supplies. They can’t stand it when amateur collectors out there do not take care of their collection.

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So why is it so important to store stamps safely? If you are looking to invest in rare postage stamps then you should be aware that their value depends majorly on their condition. Stamps that are soiled, folded or torn would not fetch you a good stamp. If you are really expecting that the value of a particular stamp would appreciate with time then you should also store them in stamp collecting accessories like a stamp collection album, stamp stockbooks, stamp binders or stamp stockpages. The moment stamps are exposed to moisture or dust, there are chances that their true colours would fade away. Even if you are not looking to invest in rare postage stamps, why would you want your collection to become dull after a few years?

There is no doubt about the fact that stamp collecting is a fun hobby. But one must be also serious about how he or she pursues the hobby. If you really have a liking for the hobby then you must invest in good quality philatelic supplies right from the beginning. When you start respecting the hobby of collecting stamps, you will gain some respect in return. Put in some heart into it and you will love each and every process associated with this amazing hobby. If you keep the right mix of fun and discipline then you are destined to become a great collector!

Variety of Modern Indian Coins that Collectors can Seek

There is a general misconception among young coin collectors that there is not much to explore when it comes to modern coins of India. This is not at all true. There are various categories of modern Indian coins that collectors can look for. Let’s take a look at the two broad categories of modern period coins of India so that you get some kind of a reference point to start collecting.

Anna series and Republic of India Decimal Coinage are the two major categories that you should be aware about. Did you know that old British Coins were still circulated in Independent India after 15th August 1947 as well? These coins are termed as frozen currency. The first 1 rupee coin was minted in 1950 after the constitution was formed. Modern India coins like 1/2 Re, 1/4 Re, 2 Anna, 1 Anna, 1/2 Anna & 1 Pice coins fall under the Anna series. 1 pice coins issued in 1950 were struck in bronze and featured a galloping horse on the reverse.

The decimal system for Indian coins was introduced in 1957. However, both decimal and non-decimal coins were circulated together for a short period of time. Modern coins of India that were minted between 1957 and 1964 featured the legend “Naya Paise”. Denominations like 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, 20, 25, 50 naya paise were circulated. This legend was discontinued in 1964. 5 paise coins that were issued in 1976 were made of aluminium and was square shaped.

Certain experiments were also made like 3 paise and 20 paise coins. However, they were not popular. 1, 2 and 3 paise coins were slowly removed from circulation in 1970s. Did you know that 2 rupee coins were introduced in 1982 to replace 2 Rs. Notes? These coins were only minted again in 1990.

Modern Indian coins made of stainless steel bearing denominations 10, 25 and 50 paise were introduced in 1988. A new lighter rupee stainless steel coin was minted in 1992. In the same year 5 Rupees Cupronickel coin was also released in 1992 while 10 rupees were released in 2005.

Apart from these, there is a wide range of commemorative modern Indian coins that collectors can look out for!

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.

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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.

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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.

Collect Antique Coins of India to Become Financially Independent

There are some friends who keep asking me why I like collecting antique coins of India. When I tell them that I have been making a lot of money by investing in the rare coins in India, they do not even believe me. In today’s times, it takes a lot of courage to do something unconventional. I was doing a

nine-to-five job in an IT company, but was always passionate about collecting antique Indian coins. I also dreamt of becoming more independent financially some day. After working in the corporate sector for almost 4 years, I realized that a secured job is not my cup of tea. I analyzed my situation completely and also toyed with several start up ideas. Finally, it occurred to me that I can combine my passion for collecting rare Indian coins with my desire for complete financial independence. I decided to quit my job and invest some part of my savings for buying rare coins of British India.

Initially, I met with a lot of resistance from my family members and friends. They literally thought that I would end up becoming completely broke. But, I stood with my dream and kept on researching

about colonial coins and other rare coins in India. After I had built a considerably big collection of Interesting coins, I started looking for auction events and probable buyers. In my free time, I used to research about antique Indian coins so that I was aware about their market value. Every time I went to a dealer, I knew how much to quote because of my backing of sound knowledge. There have been instances when coin dealers have tried to fool me. However, I never fell in their trap because I knew the worth of my antique Indian coin collection.

When I look back today, I think I took the right decision at the right time. Some of my friends and family members who laughed at me back then, have a lot of respect for me today. So if you are really passionate about collecting rare coins in India, then you can always consider making it your profession.


    

How to Identify Categories of Old Indian Coins

As a collector, I think one must work towards building a quality collection of old Indian coins. Randomly adding coins to your collection will only make it bigger in size. Apart from that, anybody and everybody can build such a collection of Indian old coins. If you really want to earn respect in the field of numismatics or coin collection, you should constantly be seeking more interesting coins. For that, you will definitely have to invest some time in researching about these historical coins of India.

In order to get a hang of things, you can start by segregating ancient Indian coins based on their time period or era. For example, coins issued by various ancient janapadas can form one category. These beautiful ancient coins of India date back to 6th century as well. The most famous ones are those coins which were issued under Magadha-Mauryan Janapada. There were many other janapadas such as Gandhara, Kuntala, Ayodhya etc. If you truly love your hobby then you will find unique ways of building a collection of these Janapada coins.

Next, you could move on to old coins of India that were issued by ancient invaders. The most famous coins from this category in the world of numismatics are the ones issued by Kushans, Indo-Greeks
and Indo-Scythians. You could also categorize your coins based on different kingdoms and dynasties like the Gupta, Satavahanas, etc. Ancient Indian coins from the southern part of the subcontinent include the ones issued by Banwasis, Cholas, Pandyas etc.

When you are collecting coins based on category, it is but obvious that you would also have to undertake that much more research. Your collection will also look much better and diverse in that

case. When you add a coin that belongs to a new dynasty, you would naturally start upgrading your knowledge about that particular dynasty. This is how your knowledge also keeps growing along with your collection. There is no fun in building a collection of random coins. It is only when you take some effort that you will truly understand the joy of collecting rare historical coins. So identify your liking, create your own categories and start building a unique collection.

How Stamp Collecting Supplies Can be Your Saving Grace!

Times change and with that change trends as well. Stamp collection was a very popular hobby at one point in time when letters were the only means of communication. But with the advent of technology, connecting with someone has become just a matter of few clicks. That’s the reason why there is a sharp decline in the number of people who engage themselves in this exciting pastime. Youngsters should be encouraged to revive this dying hobby and that I guess is the need of the hour. There is so much to learn when you study about postage stamps. From culture, traditions, history to inventions, people and places, every stamp depicts something which represents the true essence of a country. Along with the importance of the hobby, kids should also be told about the importance of keeping their collection of stamps safe from any kind or dust or moisture. And for that, you would have to invest in quality Philatelic supplies.

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Stamp collecting accessories come in different shapes and sizes like stamp collection albums, stamp stockbooks, stamp binders, stamp stockpages etc. Based on what your requirements are, you will have to pick the right ones. This will ensure that your priceless collection of stamps stays fresh with respect to their colours. Moreover, stamps that are stored in quality stamp collecting supplies would not get folded or torn. If your stamps have even the slightest of folds, they will not be looked at or even considered by potential buyers. If you start collecting stamps now, there could be a time when you will acquire a really rare stamp. You might want to sell them off after a few years. If you are negligent and are not disciplined, then there are chances that you might lose this precious stamp. But if you have taken the effort and purchased quality stamp collection albums, then you can be rest assured that your stamp will remain the same even after many years.

What I always advice young philatelist is that collecting stamps should be considered as a long term investment. You never know what you will add to your kitty or who is going to come looking for you just to buy a special stamp that very few own. When there are so many ifs and possibilities, the only thing you can be responsible about is storing your valuable stamps in good quality stamp collecting accessories!

How to Classify Antique Indian Coins like Colonial Coins

Antique coins of India have always been the favorites among numismatists and coin collectors all over the world. From ancient coins to rare coins of British India, each one of them has a lot of historical value and significance. Today, let us take a brief look at the colonial coins that were issued when the Indian subcontinent was under the reign of different foreign powers. Rare coins in India that were struck during this time period have been sold at auction houses for handsome amounts. If we have to broadly classify these antique Indian coins, then we can categorize them as follows: Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company, French East India Company, British Colony, Madras Presidency coins, Bengal Presidency coins, Bombay Presidency coins, British India, Indo-Portuguese, Kingdom of Portugal, Republic of Portugal and Ceylon. Surprised to know about so many categories? Many collectors have a misconception that colonial coins are the coins that are issued only under British India, which is incorrect.

 With so many options available, you can look towards enhancing your collection of antique Indian coins by making it more diverse and unique. Rare coins of British India produced during the East India Company days can be broadly classified as those that were issued under Queen Victoria (1838 to 1853) and the ones that were issued under William IV (1837 -1837). After that, India was divided into presidencies for administrative purposes. These three presidencies, namely Bombay, Bengal and Madras, started issuing their own coins. These were followed by British India coins that were issued under various rulers like Victoria Queen, Victoria Empress, Edward VII, George V and GEORGE VI.  Indi-Portuguese old coins of India were struck under the regime of various kings and emperors like, Alfonso VI, Joao, Pedro IV, Pedro III, etc.  There is so much to explore really.

Yes, it is very difficult to own the rarest coins of India as they have a high demand and are extremely expensive. However, you can definitely keep growing your collection by adding other coins that belong to various other rarely-known and unique categories.  Once you start reading about the above mentioned categories, you will definitely know what to look for!

How to Go about Building a Commendable Collection of Indian Notes

Currency notes in India are available today in different denominations like 1 rupee, 5 rupees, 10 rupees, 20 rupees, 50 rupees, 100 rupees, 500 rupees and 2000 rupees. Indian notes of the denomination 1000 rupees were banned in November 2017 along with the then-circulating 500 rupee notes. The decision was taken by PM Narendra Modi to curb black money. Notes of India of the denomination 2000 rupees is the latest addition in the family. Designs of Currency notes of India of the denomination rupees 10, rupees 50 and rupees 500 have been recently changed as well. History of Indian notes has always been fascinating, right from the first issues that were released during the colonial rule to the latest 2000 rupees notes. It gives you an idea about the economic condition of those times. Those who are interested in collecting and studying about currency notes of India, or any other country for that matter, are known as notaphilsts.

You will find different kinds of notaphilists. Some are interested in collecting uniface notes from British India, while there are many others who are on the lookout for modern notes of India with fancy serial numbers. You would be surprised to know that there are collectors who are willing to even pay lakhs of rupees for a single note with a fancy serial number. A lot depends on the condition of notes, their rarity and market demand.  That’s the reason why you should make sure that you are storing your collection of precious Indian notes in quality note collecting accessories so that their condition remains intact over several years. There is no use if you have rare notes of India in your collection but are unable to preserve their condition. Once a note is folded or is slightly torn, their market value reduces drastically!
    
There are a very few hobbies which not only give you immense joy but also increase your knowledge. Apart from patience and dedication, you also need to have an eye for noticing interesting serial numbers or combinations on banknotes. It is sometimes difficult to find old notes of India or rare notes of India. There is no point in getting frustrated. You can rather utilize the same time in researching about the history of Indian banknotes or searching Indian notes with unique serial numbers.