A rare silver double rupee called Haidari from Tipu Sultan’s period has been attracting much attention at the 9th National Numismatic Exhibition that the organisers have been forced to take it off display for security reasons.
This and other such rare coins and notes are bringing a large number of collectors to the exhibition-cum-auction organised by city-based Marudhar Arts, which closes on February 25.
With more numbers of dealers participating this year, collectors are spoilt for choice. “We got 105 exhibitors this year from all over the country. On Friday, close to 1,500 people visited and we expect the numbers to grow during weekend,” said Archie Maru, director, Marudhar Arts.
For the first time ever, two coins issued by Mughal rulers Nur Jahan and Raziya Sultan will be up for auction. “The silver rupee coin from the Lahore Mint was issue by Nur Jahan and its base price is ₹3.5 lakh. The coin issued by Raziya Sultan was issued in the name of her father, Iltutmish, in the 13th Century,” he said.
The exhibition also saw the largest bank note issued by Malaysia this year, priced at ₹90,000. Sibi Mullanikadu from Travancore Coins is one of the few people who has the note in India. “Around 6,000 notes were issued by Malaysia and could be booked online. I bought one more from a collector in Malaysia recently and sold it at the exhibition,” he said.
The expo also has a wide variety of antique items such as brass oil pots, old cycle lamps, craved knives, and rare books. R. Raghavendra from Bengaluru has a collection of over 100 rare books, apart from a huge collections of coins and notes. He has put on display the first edition of The Indian War of Independence of 1857 written by Veer Savarkar in 1909. “There are only three copies of the book in the world, which was banned by the British,” said Mr. Raghavendra. S. Bose, a numismatist, said he was happy with the variety offered at the exhibition.
In order to promote the hobby among younger generations, Marudhar Arts will soon conduct a year-long programme to create awareness about numismatics. “We are planning to conduct free seminars and workshops for those who want to take it up as a hobby. The programme will start in May,” he said.
