Blogs — Antique
The Mark of an Artist
Posted by Amit Bhandari on
Figure 1: Silver Rupees showing initials of William Wyon and Venancio Alves Older coins sometimes have tiny letters engraved on them – often quite prominently. A very good example, familiar to Indian collectors, is the 1840 silver rupee of the East India Company, where the letters WW (sometimes WWS) can be seen at the base of Queen Victoria’s neck (See Figure 1). The Indo-Portuguese silver Rupia of 1903-04 (King Carlos) has larger letters V ALVES – clearly visible to the naked eye. A quick test to check wear on such coins is to read these letters – given their small size,...
- Tags: Antique, Coin, India Coins, Indian Antique Coin, Numismatics
Know Your India: Nawanagar State and its Coins
Posted by Amit Bhandari on
Nawanagar was a princely state in the Kathiawar region of Gujarat, with the Gulf of Kutch to its north. The ruler was the Jam of Nawanagar – a Jadeja Rajput and from the same clan as the rulers of Kutch. The town of Nawanagar was founded in 1540 by the first Jam Rawal, who was fleeing Kutch. The Jam Rawal in early 20th century was the well known cricketer Ranjitsinhji. The town of Nawanagar is also much better known as Jamnagar – the site of one of the world’s largest petroleum refineries, owned by Reliance Industries. Another well known port...
- Tags: Antique, Coin, India Coins, Kori, Numismatics, Princely State, rare, Silver
Know your India: Coins of Sailana
Posted by Amit Bhandari on
Sailana was a princely state in the Malwa region of Central India, and was originally a part of Ratlam (up to 1730). The name of the state derives from the capital town, which was named after ‘shail’ (mountain) and ‘anana’ (at the mouth of). Sailana’s territories were scattered and the state had borders with walior, Indore, Dhar, Jhabua, Jaora, Banswara, and Kushalgarh States. Sailana’s rulers were Rathore rajputs and an offshoot of the ruling house of Ratlam. The ruler of Sailana was entitled to an 11-gun salute. Sailana was a relatively small state, with an area of 450 square miles,...
- Tags: Antique, Coin, India Coins, Numismatics, Princely State, rare, Sailana
1936 – The year of three kings
Posted by Amit Bhandari on
Kutch Princely State
Edward VIII, George V, George VI, Khengarji
Silver Coins, Antique silver coins, Old coins, Kutch Coins
- Tags: Antique, Coin, India Coins, Kutch, Numismatics, Princely State, Silver
Are silver coins a good investment?
Posted by Amit Bhandari on
A numismatist collects coins out of interest, not out of a desire to profit. However, if you are spending large sums on buying coins, it is worth considering whether these may be worth something in time of need. The value of a coin (precious metal) can be divided into two parts – the value of the underlying metal and the numismatic value of the coin. The numismatic value of a coin will also depend on factors such as rarity, antiquity and condition, which are subjective. The first question – the value of the underlying metal, is relatively easy to...
- Tags: Antique, Inflation, Investment, Return, Silver