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Heritage in coins
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A collection of coins was exhibited by Justin Gilbert Lopez in the city recently.
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Coin depicting Mother Teresa and Princess Diana, brought out by Sierra Leone
"IF YOU are lucky, you may get a few dates from the hawker in exchange for your brass pieces," jeered his friends when Justin Gilbert Lopez first started collecting coins. Justin has come a long way since then. Those who made fun of his hobby have begun to praise and help him.
"My obsession with coins began when I was 12 years old. I found a few coins of erstwhile Travancore when my childhood home in Poovar was pulled down," reminisced Justin, a Non-Resident Indian (NRI). Justin says he has a collection of over 7,500 coins from 315 countries.
A four-day World Coin Exhibition was inaugurated on January 25 at the VJT Hall in the city by Marthanda Varma, head of the royal family of erstwhile Travancore. Around 3,500 coins were on display at the exhibition.
Colour printouts plot on the globe the country of origin of the coin, and also specify its location on a particular continent, along with a blow-up of the country's map. The name of the currency, its rupee equivalent, name of the head of State and even the time difference were recorded. A small note on the geographical, political, demographic and economic status of the country was appended.
The rupee or rupiya from no less than six nations, ranging from Maldives to Mauritius, with the Indian rupee holding its own against that of Sri Lanka and Pakistan, were on display.
Coins commemorating Prince Charles and Princess Diana
Besides coins from ancient princely states such as the Sultanate of Gujarat, Gwalior, Jaipur and Sindh, the old Indian coins also include those issued by emperor Akbar. The Mughals took the art of making coins to an entirely new level. They made coins of great beauty, featuring inscriptions in Arabic and even verses from Persian poetry. These coins were called muhr, which means seal, and woe to anyone who did not respect it as currency.
A Greek coin, dating to the period before Christ, with Alexander's head engraved on it, and a Roman coin featuring Nero stole the show. A list of Roman rulers in the order of ascension to the throne and their pictures were also on display. The most colourful coin was the Baht from Thailand, issued to commemorate the 90th birthday of the princess mother.
Coins from countries that no longer exist, such as St. Helena to which Napoleon was banished, or those that have recently come into existence like Croatia, with its Kuna, added to the historical interest. The biggest mint issue the world has known --- the 50 billion Euro coins valued at U.S. $592 on January 1, 2002 was well represented.
Justin plans to join the Kerala Philatelic and Numismatic Society and has registered for entry to the Guinness Book for the exhibition with the maximum number of viewers.
SHANTHI RADHAKRISHNAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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