Coin Corner

Hobby Corner in Chandni Chowk is for those who treat collecting coins as more than a hobbySikh Museum.

Across the fountain on the main road of Chandni Chowk,a narrow stone staircase leads one to an old and tiny shop on the first floor of the building,adjacent to the Bhai Mati Das Sati Das Sikh Museum. The shop,simply named Hobby Corner,is meant for those who treat collecting coins as more than a hobby. For,there are thousands of books on numismatics and related areas stacked inside the small shop,making it perhaps the only bookstore of its kind in the city.

From the nine-volume Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian Coins by Michael Mitchiner (priced around Rs 21,000) to the first edition of Catalogue of the Gupta Gold Coins in the Bayana Hoard by A S Altekar,which doesnt have a price label,to Medals of British India by Robert P Puddester and latest publications on the subject the store has nearly 500 titles on coins available at any time. There are also old editions of journals on the subject,books on history,philately,numismatics stationery,and commemorative coin sets of Independent India on sale.

The young owner,Aditya Jain,says that it all started more than 25 years ago,with his father Rajesh Jains keen interest in numismatics. Rajesh Jain,one of the founder members of the Delhi Coin Society and a life member of Numismatics Society of India,has been a regular in various exhibitions in the city,displaying his large collection,that includes error coins. As Aditya took over from his father,he thought of launching the store on the Internet. Theres hardly any publisher of numismatics books who hasnt given us a distributorship. Thanks to the Internet we have been able to expand our client base and get at least 50 queries per day many of these from foreigners and numismatics societies across the world, he says,while showing his name as the distributor on several books published across the country. Aditya adds that the store specialises on publications on Indian coins from the ancient to the contemporary.

In the future,we plan to add reprints and original rare books to our list, he says. The stores website also offers services such as valuation of antique coins to individual collectors and amateurs.

Collectors from all over India drop in looking for the latest research work published in the field,claims the owner. The setting seems just right for anyone interested in antique coins,as one flips through books on the subject sitting next to a window that gives a birds eye view of the old city.

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