Turkey Lira

                       

This coin was released to mark the 75th anniversary of the Turkish republic. Shown on the obverse is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey.

Atatürk was a military officer during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His military campaigns gained Turkey independence. Atatürk then embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms, seeking to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, westernized and secular nation-state.

Rabindranath Tagore proof set Rebooking

Rabindranath Tagore proof set re-booking 

Yet another re-booking. They are also increasing the booking rates quite sharply every 3-4 months, and doesn't look like justified to me. This is the third or fourth time Tagore sets have been released for booking, and a 5 rupee single proof coin is also available for booking. Don't know about you but I am rapidly losing interest in proof sets. The rates are shooting up which isn't justified as per me, and the coin quality is going down. The booking will be open from 16.8.2011 to 20.9.2011.

Check this link if you want to do booking:http://igmkolkata.spmcil.com/SPMCIL/Interface/Home.aspx 

The coin collector's wife

Dedicated to All Coin Collectors' Wives
Author Unknown.

Here are two lines that you have all heard before, I think, from The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge: 

"Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink.
Shipwrecked people shout it, as they drift upon the sea,"

It sure is bad, but the saddest cry I've heard in my whole life
Is the one you hear, when you lend and ear, to the Coin Collector's Wife.

Money, money everywhere, but not a pice to spend;
If this keeps up, our marriage is coming to an end.
Money in every dresser drawer and money on the shelf;
But there isn't one thin pice to spend upon myself.
Silver rupees and nickel rupees , and golden fivers, too!
Some of them are old and worn, and some of them are new.
I wish my husband cared as much about the way I look. . . .
The paycheck that he gets doesn't seem to mean a thing to me,
'Cause hubby needs a Land Vital two rupee.
As soon as he gets the coin, he'll be looking for some other;
I think I'd be better off if I went on home to mother.
One day in desperation, I took a rupee two;
His yell can shatter the heavens, I tell you that is true!
Another time I took a coin that he said was a "proof;"
When I told him I spent it, I thought he'd raise the roof!
With all that money 'round the house, we're really very poor;
I'm getting sick and tired of it, of that I'm really sure!
So, I advise you, single girls, if you want a happy life;
Don't marry a coin collector and be a Coin Collector's Wife,
Shouting, "Money money everywhere and not a pice to spend;"
Don't ever let a coin collector be more than just a friend.

P.S. The poem was written by some collector in the U.S. ; and I modified it in the Indian context. Like, using rupees instead of dollars and pice in place of dime. BTW, I think your wives will like this one.
:P 

Euro: Finland

Finland 1 Euro 

Whooper swans in flight 

The Finland 1 euro coin shows two whooper swans in flight. The whooper swan is a large North Hemispheric swan which requires large areas of water to live in. Since they have high body weight and frail legs, they cannot walk or stand for long durations. The whooper swan spends much of its time swimming, straining the water for food, or eating plants that grow on the bottom. No wonder it is found in abundance in Finland, the land of 55,000 lakes, and it also happens to be the national bird of Finland. 

Finland 2 Euro 

Cloudberry 

The Finland 2 Euro coin shows the cloudberry on the reverse. Cloudberry is also called bakeapple, knotberry, averin and evron; and is a rhizomatous herb native to alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. It is red when unripe and amber-orange when ripe. In Nordic countries like Finland and Sweden, it is made into jams, juices tarts and liquors. 

Russia 10 rouble - IV

                                  

Russia 10 Rouble - III

Russia 10 rouble, Republic Altay

Altay republic is a federal subject of Russian Federation, part of Siberian Federal District. The administrative center is Gorno-Altaisk city. The republic is located in the Asia center. The nature of Altay republic is a combination of Altay mountains, Siberian taiga, Kazakhstan steppes and Mongolia semi-deserts.

Altay Republic has the population of 207,000 (2008)and the land area of the region is 92,600 sq. km.

First people inhabited the Altay valleys about 1.5 million years ago. Such is the supposed age of world-known Ulalinskaya site discovered in Gorno-Altaysk. In 8th-3rd centuries B.C. Altay region was inhabited by Skyphs-Pazyrykts - the founders of Altay animal style. Hun-Sarmat period in the history of the region began at the end of 3rd century B.C. From 6th century B.C. descendants of Huns, ancestors of Altays - Turkic people became the rulers of Central Asia.

Soviet power in the region was established by the end of 1919. On June 1st 1922 the Oyrot autonomous region was formed as a part of Altay krai, it was renamed Gorno (Mountainous)-Alatisky autonomous region on January 7th, 1948; from October 25th, 1990 it became Gorno-Alatiskaya ASSR, from July 3rd, 1991 - Gorno-Alatiskaya SSR, from May 1992 - the Republic of Gorny Altay, since December 12th, 1993 - the Republic of Altay.

Altay republic coat of arms

Russia 10 rouble, Republic of Adigeya

The republic of Adigeya is a federal subject of Russia enclaved within Krasnodar Krai. Its area is 7600 sq.Km and the population is 44,000 as in 2010. Its capital is Maykop.

Republic of Adigeya coat of arms

Russia 10 Rouble - II

10 Rouble, Rostov oblast

This one is released for the Rostov oblast, where an oblast can have the same connotation as an area, zone, province or region. Pictured here is the Rostov oblast coat of arms.

Rostov oblast coat of arms

10 Rouble, Archangel Oblast

The legend below the figure reads "Arkhangelsk oblast", which translates to archangel oblast in English. An Oblast is an administrative division of Russia and the word can also be used in the same sense as a region. Arkhangelsk oblast lies to the North-Western side of Russia. The city of Arkhangelsk is apparently so named after the archangel Michael who is the guardian of the city.

Archangel Oblast coat of arms

Archangel Michael slaying the devil by Raphael

Russia 10 Rouble - I

                                                        10 Rouble, 1992
                                                         Weight: 3.65 gm
                                                      Metal: copper nickel
                                                        Diameter: 21.1mm
                                                   Obverse: double headed eagle
                                                   Obverse legend: Bank Russia

Proof set: Maharana Pratap

Maharana Pratap proof set cover

Maharana Pratap proof set obverse

Reverse

Maharana Pratap 100 rupee

Maharana Pratap 10 rupee

Maharana Pratap 1 rupee

Maharana Pratap Singh was a ruler of Mewar and belonged to the Sisodiya clan of Suryavanshi Rajputs. Maharana Pratap Singh is believed to be the epitome of fiery Rajput pride and self-respect; he has exemplified the qualities to which Rajputs aspire for centuries. Maharana Pratap Singh was born as the eldest child among 25 brothers and 20 sisters at Kumbhalgarh on May 9, 1540 to Maharana Udai Singh II and Maharani Javanta Bai Songara (Chauhan). The birthplace of Maharana Pratap Singh is known as Juni Kacheri.

Maharana Pratap Singh, Ruler of MewarIn 1568, during the reign of Udai Singh II, the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered Chittor. The third Jauhar of Chittor became apparent, with the ladies of the fort finding safety from personal dishonour and plunged themselves into fire, while rest of the men folk sallied forth to certain death in the battlefield. Before this condition, Udai Singh and his family had moved to the safety of the nearby hills. He later moved base to another location in the foothills of the Aravalli Range. This new foundation gradually became the city of Udaipur and was accordingly named after him. Udai Singh wished Jagmal, his favorite son could succeed him but his senior nobles wanted Pratap, the eldest son, to be their king. During the coronation ceremony Jagmal was actually moved out of the palace and Pratap was deliberately made the king. Pratap did not want to go against the desire of his father but Rajput nobles convinced him strongly that Jagmal was not capable to rule in the crucial times of the day. It was the beginning of a career of struggle and hardship for Maharana Pratap Singh.

Maharana Pratap Singh never believed Akbar as the ruler of India, and kept on fighting with Akbar all his life. Akbar first tried several diplomatic ways to win over Maharana Pratap but nothing really worked. Maharana Pratap Singh maintained that he had no intention to fight with Akbar, however he could not bow down to Akbar and accept him as the ruler. There was some possibility that Maharana Pratap Singh could have become friends with Akbar, but in the invasion for Chittor Akbar had killed around 30,000 civilians, unarmed residents of Chittor only because they refused to convert to Islam. This left an ever-lasting impression on Maharana Pratap Singh`s mind and he adamant not to bow to such an injustice and cruelty.

Composition

Nepal 300 rupee

300 rupee, Rashtriya Banjiya bank silver jubilee 1990

The legend reads Rashtriya Banjiya Bank Rajat jayanti 2022-2047, and also shows the bank logo. The Rashtriya Banjiya Bank, which translates to the National Bank of commerce, is to Nepal what the Reserve Bank is to India. The date converts to 1965-1990 AD, which means this one was released in 1990 on the occasion of silver jubilee of the Rashtriya Banijya Bank of Nepal.

Weight: 18gm
Silver: 92.5%

Date: 2047 VS = 1990 AD

Thailand 50 Baht - Prince royal cradle ceremony

Thailand 50 Baht: Prince royal cradle ceremony

This 50 Baht coin was released on the occasion of first birthday of prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the son of crown prince Vajiralongkorn and princess Srirasmi, who happens to be the third legal wife of the crown prince. The prince Dipangkorn turned 1 on 29th April, 2006. There were lots of pictures of the prince with his relatives, most notably with the king Bhumibol Adulyadej and queen Sirikit, who are his grandparents. Princess Srirasmi later held a small birthday party at their residence, Sukothai palace on 29 April 2006.

Thailand Satang

25 Satang, 1990

Metal: aluminium bronze
Ruler: Rama IX
Date: 2533 BE= 1990AD
Diameter: 16mm
Weight: 1.9gm
Reverse: Wat Phra Mahathat, which contains a tooth relic of Buddha

50 satang, 1980

Metal: aluminium-bronze
Ruler: Rama IX
Date:2523 BE=1980 AD

The satang is 1/100th of a Baht so 50 satang=1/2Baht and 25 satang = 1/4 Baht.

Thailand 20 Baht - VI

Thailand 20 baht, FAO world food summit

20 baht, Asian development bank

   

                                         

Thailand 10 Baht - V

Thailand 10 Baht 60th anniversary of treasury department May 23, 1993

Date: 2536 BE = 1993 AD

Thailand 10 Baht, King Rama IX anniversary of reign, twice as long on the throne

Metal:Nickel
Diameter: 32mm
Date: BE 2524 (1981 AD)


10 Baht, 60th anniversary - royal Thai language academy March 31

Metal: Nickel
Diameter: 32mm
Date: 2537 BE=1994 AD

Is Land vital resource bogus?

For those not keyed in, the above coin(picture taken from the internet) is supposed to be one of the rarest coins of Republic India, with an estimated mintage of 400, with the number of confirmed existing pieces numbering below 50. It was also considered one of the best investments in terms of the return as the rate of this one shot up from 500 to 2 lakh in a period of two decades.

However, in a recent turn of events, an RTI was filed regarding the minting of this one on the part of the government. And the reply was, in a word, a shocker.A recent RTI dated 4.4.2011 filed by a collector from delhi with finance ministry, under Q.no 6&7 asked specifically the denomination, the yearof issue, the name of the mintand the total quantity minted of the commemorative coin- LAND VITAL RESOURCE,and available for sale to general public? THE REPLYTO THIS QUESTION BY UNDER SECRETARY (CY.11) & CPIO Mr SUSHIL KUMAR UNDER FILE No.12/14/2011-COIN IS THAT NO COMMEMORATIVE COIN HAS BEEN ISSUED ON THE ABOVE THEME!!

So, where does this leave those who have bought this one at such exorbitant rates? And where do those go who were planning to buy this one? And most importantly, does this reduce a known collector's item to just a piece of metal?

As far as I am concerned, I was at one point thinking of buying this one but ultimately had to forsake my ambitions because of the sky high rates which would not have burned a hole in my pocket, rather they would have burned a borewell and there would be nothing left of my pocket. I am not concerned in the least about the fate of this one since I am not having it. But since this one was not released for circulation but only in sets to be distributed among some dignitaries, do we have to spend such a high amount on such coins?

Please note it is crime under indian penal code 232 to hold this coin as govt/mint denied this coin is official issue (Whoever counterfeits, or knowingly performs any part of the process of counterfeiting 1[Indian coin], shall be punished with 2[imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extent to ten years, and shall also be liable to fine.)

Now this takes an interesting turn as the Kolkata mint site shows that it has minted the Land Vital resource 2 rupees:http://www.igmint.org/prod.htm . But this is in contradiction with the reply of the RTI. So what can we conclude from the known data? Did the finance ministry make a mistake? Or is the Kolkata mint giving blatant false information? Whatever the case may be, at least I will stay clear of this coin even if I can afford it. I would rather buy 100-200 good valuable varieties for my collection with the same money for which this coin is selling for.

And now, a degree in Numismatics !

MASTER OF COINS

NUMISMATICS IS AN UPCOMING FIELD FOR RESEARCH IN INDIAN HISTORY AND THERE IS HUGE BURGEONING MARKET IN TRADING OF INDIAN COINS BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY


All those who collect coins know it quite well that the hobby is good, but most of the time parenst or friends do not approve as they think its a waste of time and money. Well, now we are having a formal course for numismatics which can help you to study coin history and also can be used as a stepping stone to make a career in numismatics.

The University of Mumbai conducts the MA (Numismatics & Archaeology) programme through the Dinesh Mody Institute of Numismatics & Archaeology (DMINA) with three batches of numismatists out in the field. The two-year program is conducted on the premises of the institute along with the Dinesh Mody Numismatic Museum, which was established by Dinesh Mody, a senior Mumbai based advocate and eminent numismatist with large collections of Indian and world coins.

“Numismatics is an upcoming field for research in Indian history and there is huge burgeoning market in trading of Indian coins both nationally and internationally. Thus, the students can expect to be absorbed by the increasing number of auction houses for coins as resource persons and by the numerous museums both in India and abroad that require expert numismatists to catalogue their collections of Indian coins. Additionally, students can pursue their doctorates in the field to churn out original research content in this yet unexplored system of historiography,” says Mahesh Kalra, Assistant Director and Curator, DMINA.

The syllabus of the course ambitiously covers the entire gamut of Indian coinage right from the ancient Punchmarked coins of the pre-Buddhist era (8th-6th century BC) to coins of various Indian dynasties like Guptas, Kushans, Satavahanas, Cholas, Pandyas, Vijayanagara empire, the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals and the British till the latest coins minted by the Republic of India covering the history of a period of 2500 years! In addition, the students are encouraged to learn numerous scripts ranging from the oldest Indian scripts, Ashokan Brahmi and Kharosthi to Nagari (the precursor of Devanagari) to Greek, Arabic and Persian as Indian coins are inscribed in these indigenous and foreign scripts. Lastly, the students are instructed about the basics of Archaeology, its methodology and various findings to give them an idea of how the various coin hoards are discovered dTuring archaeological excavations conducted throughout the country.

The in-house museum and the institute, spread over a sprawling 15,000 sq. ft. area, are located at the Saroj Sadan in the heart of the Kalina campus of University of Mumbai.

The course also opens avenues for a host of foreign scholarships at foreign institutions with collections of Indian coins such as the British Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge University), Ashmolean Museum (Oxford University), among others.

I would say that the world is slowly but surely waking up to the juggernaut of numismatics. Anyone can close their eyes and say that only you can be stupid enough to buy 2 rs in 2000rs, but the potential of collection, investment or research in this field is enormous, and nobody can manage to stay in the dark if the sun is shining brightly.

25 paise coins to become history

The following is an article from The Times of India dated 25 May, 2011:

NAGPUR: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has issued a public notice stating that 25 paise coins would cease to be legal tender from June 30, 2011. Arrangements have been made for exchange of these coins for their face value at all offices of RBI and branches of forty-five banks maintaining small coin depots and notified by RBI.

RBI has made it clear that coins of 25 paise denomination and below will not be exchanged from June 30. The minimum legal tender from July 1 will be 50 paise.

The 25 paise coin was introduced in 1957 when RBI switched over to the decimal system from the Anna system. In 1988, stainless steel coins of 25 paise denomination were issued for the first time. Due to increase in prices of all commodities 25 paise has become irrelevant. A few years ago 10 paise coins were discontinued.

The decision of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to do away with coins of 25 paise and less with effect from June 30 left many people dealing regularly in these denominations at a loss across the country.

Shop owners and street vendors in Patna expressed surprise on learning about the move on Thursday. "We need coins of small denominations because most medicines are not priced in round figures," said Ravi Sahu, a chemist on S P Verma Road. Street vendors, especially those dealing in items like betel, gutkha and beedis, also said they would be hit. "Many a time rickshaw-pullers come with Rs 1.25 and ask for five beedis. They want to utilize every paisa of their income. The decision will render their 25-paise worthless," said Munnilal Sharma, a betel shop owner near Gandhi Maidan.

The RBI has asked the public to exchange these coins at the branches of banks maintaining small coin depots or at its own offices at face value.



In the face of the current inflation, the 25paise and 50 paise coins have more melt value than the face value of these coins and about 6 years back there was an incident in which a person was caught by the police with 25 and 50 paise coins having a total face value of about 60,000 rupees. He had taken the coins from a bank in Mangalore and confessed that he was taking the coins to his contact who would melt the coins into the constituent nickel and sell it as scrap. As such, this move by the RBI should not surprise anyone. From the numismatic point of view, the rarity of these fractional currencies is going to spike in all the categories. The availability of 25 paise coins would decrease to some extent, and this move would be probably replicated a few years down the line in the case of 50 paise coins. Thus the 25 paisa is now no longer legal tender, rather it is now something more valuable: a collector's item.

cops chase 500Km for 1rs bundle

1 rupee note 1964

The following is a part of a report in the Times of India. Read on:

NEW DELHI: It's not often that a cop would travel over 500 km to chase a bundle of one-rupee notes. If you thought Re 1 is a pittance, you are mistaken. This bundle is actually worth a bounty - Rs 32 lakh for all the 100 notes. What makes it priceless is its antique value. These rare notes bear the signature of former finance secretary S Bhootalingam and is a collector's dream. Each note can fetch a mindboggling Rs 25,500 in the antique market. And this precious booty was stolen from Delhi and smuggled to Rajasthan. And this sent alarm bells ringing. A team of Lajpat Nagar police raided three places in Rajasthan - Jodhpur, Bikaner and Jaipur - to retrieve the cash.

Rajkumar Gupta, a resident of Rajouri Garden, thought he had hit a jackpot when he stumbled upon 100 notes of rupee one signed by former finance secretary Bhootalingam. He found that he could sell these notes between Rs 28 lakh and 32 lakh. While enquiring on the procedure, he found two buyers - Ankit and Mahesh - who asked him to come to Lajpat Nagar market on March 26. And it was then that he was left duped.

Additional CP (southeast) Ajay Chaudhry said, "While the deal was being hammered out, the two men tricked him and quietly stole the cash. Later, a case was lodged with the Lajpat Nagar police station. We began investigations and found that the accused had moved to Rajasthan. We found that the mobile phones used by the thieves were procured through fake IDs."

The trail took the cops to Bikaner where they tracked down an accomplice, Manoj, who had received the consignment. He was about to deliver it to one Mahender Kumar at Jaipur. "We also got a tip-off that the gang was planning to sell the notes through a local auction and the base price had been set at Rs 26 lakh," said an investigating officer.



The last one rupee note was issued in 1994 and the 1995 1rs note as some of us may have heard about, is a fake. Since the 1 rupee notes are no longer in circulation, that makes them a collector's item. Though I have to admit that I do not know much about notes, but as far as I know most 1 rupee notes have value like 20-40 in UNC condition, and in poor condition we cannot expect appreciation. The 1964 one rupee note signed by Bhootlingam is specifically rare and a single note is valued at 25000+ in good condition.