Gold, silver coins of Shivaji era on display

The Todywalla Auctions has organised a unique coin fair and auction at the World Trade Centre from Friday. During the three-day event, Chhatrapatti Shivaji Maharaj's gold and silver hoan (coin) from 1674 and India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, will be on display. Shiv Sena MP Anil Desai chaired today's event.

Among the coins and notes on auction, the Kushan gold coin, (a 2000-year-old coin), the value which ranges from Rs70,000 to Rs2.5 lakh, will go under the hammer.

The auction has as many as 1,630 items on display for which bids will be made. A variety of rare and ancient coins, stamps, bank notes and medals are on display and at the auction in 100 stalls with representations from across India.

Malcolm F Todywalla of Todywalla Auctions said, "The auction is held every year in the memory and honour of late SM Shukla, who was a honorary curator with the Prince of Wales Museum. The first day saw 600 people attend the show and the auction. We are quite excited as this year, for the first time, we have displayed the Bharat Ratna which was offered to us by the grandson of Gulzarilal Nanda, Indian politician and economist to whom it was awarded."