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The coin collector
He has coins right from 600 BC to 2006 AD and a currency note of denomination Rs 2.50 that he bought for Rs 16,000! Numismatist Ashok Kumar, Project Manager, Jal Nigam has taken up his hobby very seriously. It took him almost 30 years to build up the currency and coin collection that he has today and he claims his is the finest collection one in India.
He has coins right from 600 BC to 2006 AD and a currency note of denomination Rs 2.50 that he bought for Rs 16,000! Numismatist Ashok Kumar, Project Manager, Jal Nigam has taken up his hobby very seriously. It took him almost 30 years to build up the currency and coin collection that he has today and he claims his is the finest collection one in India.
He says, “I don’t know how the hobby was cultivated but now, I am crazy about it. It’s like a ‘junoon’ for me. I attend fairs and exhibition all over the country that display coins and currency. I take my hobby very seriously and my collection is one of the most precious things for me”.
Ashok has coins, he obtained from an exhibition, that date back to 600 BC. He’s got Indo-Greek coins dating back to 130-180 BC, coins that were minted by the Chola Dynasty and Gupta Dynasty, Awadhi and Hyderbadi coins, commemorative coins and all the coins that the British minted during their reign in India. He also has coins of denomination Rs 10 and 15.
As far as his currency collection is concerned, he has collected Indian currency notes in all denominations right from with the ‘9’ digit serial numbers of 000009, 000099 to 999999 and currency notes in all denominations of serial number 786786. The oldest Indian currency note that he’s got dates back to November 14, 1917.
He says, “All my family, friends and relatives know about my hobby so whenever anybody goes somewhere they find different types of coins and currency notes to gift to me.” He has currency notes of as many as fifty odd countries, strange ones being Indonesia (the Indonesian currency has a Ganesha made on it), Vietnam, Cook’s Island, Oman and Ethiopia.
However, what is worth mentioning is the way he displays his collection. For the currency notes he has special frames that show both sides of the currency. The frames are so well-made that they add to the pleasure of seeing the collection. As for the coins, he has a special album. The coins are displayed along with their history. There is text along with the coins that explain their ‘heritage line’.
Ashok says, “I must confess that my wife and my children have really helped me build this collection. Even though my wife is not very fond of all this, she still helps me a lot”.
