‘Hobbies, if nurtured properly, can lead to society’s progress’

Coinex 2019 was inaugurated by the noted archaeologist Prof Arvind Jamkhedkar, chancellor of Deccan College, Pune, and chairman of the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR), at Sonal Hall on Karve Road on Friday. The three-day exhibition, open from 10 am to 7 pm, is on till November 17.

Residents will get an opportunity to see rare coins and also get a chance to buy and sell coins.

Coins and currency notes from all over the world, and from different eras, are displayed in 50 stalls.

Experts will additionally assist visitors to analyse the coins. The highlights of the exhibition include rare coins such as the Muhiyabad Poona’s gold mohur, a Jahangir Silver Zodiacal Leo rupee, 7.36 g of Samudragupta’s gold dinar and Isle of Man, Queen Elizabeth II, and a gold triangle crown.

Jamkhedkar said in India, coins have been used for over 3,000 years.

Looking at that history, Jamkhedkar said, “Everything starts from a hobby but if they are nourished and nurtured properly, this can lead to the progress of society in different ways.”

The Muhiyabad Poona gold mohur, weighing 11.04 g, is on display in the city for the first time and will be open for auction on November 16 at 5.30 pm.

The earliest minting activity on behalf of the Peshwas is known to have been undertaken during the short and ill-fated reign of Peshwa Narayan Rao when Dullah Shet Govindji, a banker from Pune, got a licence to operate.

The coins he produced were to be rupees and mohurs, known as ‘Shet Shahi’ coins after his name.

The gold ‘Shet Shahi’ mohurs are exceedingly rare. One was offered in the ‘Skanda’ collection auction by Spink-Taisei in 1991 and the same was listed earlier by Maheshwari and Wiggins. Since then, no other pieces have turned up on the market for an auction.

On the occasion of the silver jubilee of the society, Amiteshwar Jha from Nashik, Shohin Daya from Mumbai, Ashok Jayraj Singh Thakur from Chandrapur, Jagdish Agarwal from Kolkata and Dr Manjiri Bhalerao from Pune were felicitated.

“Coins with many original and historical references have been dissolved. Due to the increased awareness of the area, coins are being collected at personal, organisational and government levels,” Jha said, adding that through this, we are working to preserve our original heritage.

Paras Jain, who owns a stall at the exhibition, said, “The rate varies according to the history attached to the coin; we start selling in tens and go up to lakhs. Not only Pune residents but people from other cities and states also show great interest and enthusiasm for such exhibitions.”