Blogs — Indian Antique Coin

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,...

Most people start collecting coins when they find an interesting coin in their pocket change or have some coins left over from an overseas trip. In some cases, the numismatic journey starts with a few old copper coins found with a grandparent. A few lucky ones get to inherit collections – either from an older sibling/cousin or a relative. Regardless of where you start, as in any journey, the direction is more important than speed. So you want to collect coins. What are the dos and don’ts? Collect what interests you You will be spending a lot of time and...