Coins give a glimpse into Shivaji’s life

It’s an exclusive peek into the era of Shivaji. Two rare gold and silver Hoan (historical gold coins), struck to commemorate his coronation, will be on display starting today (April 23). It is a tribute to the state by city-based Todywalla Auctions in the run-up to Maharashtra Day.

The 19th Shukla Day Coin fair also includes an auction of coins, medals and banknotes and, for the first time, a philatelic auction spread over three days. “It is a natural extension of our passion for anything old and rare,” says Malcolm Todywalla, whose father began the company in 1964.

The stamp collection includes Gandhi and Asian Games commemorative stamps, endangered bird stamps, Queen Victoria stamps and stamps issued by princely states, from pre- and post-Independence.

There is also postal stationery on auction — first day covers, envelopes used in the 1800s and a still-intact, two by one feet stamp sheet.

This national level exhibition will feature stalls by over 90 dealers and collectors coming in from all over the country.

One collector among them is Ajay Goyal, who, 15 years ago, fell in love with a Queen Victoria silver Re1 coin, which had the stamp of Alwar state in Rajasthan. “My interest was piqued when I found that over 60 states in pre-independent India had coins of their own,” says Goyal, 45, who runs a wheat milling business.

The coin that he purchased for Rs150 has led to a lifelong passion. Like anything old, these coins and paper money have a unique history attached to them.

The earliest banknote on display is a hand-signed, uncut note issued in 1834, which was used for money transactions between two places. “The banknotes were torn into halves and were then sent, one at a time. On receiving them, the bank would tear the signature off the note, signifying the end of the transaction,” narrates Todywalla. 

Vipul Maheshwari, 37, is a collector with a passion for pre-British coins. A chartered accountant, his passion for numismatics began from the age of eight.

“Coin collectors are born, they are not made,” he quips. Earlier, Maheswari would collect foreign coins but soon found that his interest lay solely in Indian coins. “Each coin has a unique romance attached to it,” he says, adding that he hopes to add some Moghul era coins to his collection.

The auction will see a collection of 1,000 coins and banknotes starting from Rs500 and going up to Rs2 lakh. “It’s a myth that numismatics and philately is only for the rich, your most important asset should be passion,” says Todywalla, who used to collect stamps when he was young.

The exhibition is at Tejpal Auditorium, August Kranti Maidan.