Old is gold: Rare coins mint money at city auction

A rare, square gold coin minted under Manipur king Gaura Simha (1756 to 1764 CE) fetched Rs 15 lakh at a numismatic auction at the World Trade Centre on Friday, Riddhi Doshi reports.

A rare, square gold coin minted under Manipur king Gaura Simha (1756 to 1764 CE) fetched Rs 15 lakh at a numismatic auction at the World Trade Centre on Friday.

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The coin, which was expected to fetch about Rs. 5 lakh, was one of the most valuable items to go under the hammer on day one of the two-day Todywalla auction. Not much is known about the history of the coin, says Malcolm Todywala of the auction house. “There are no published records of these works.”

What makes the coin special is its shape and the inscriptions in the almost-extinct Sylheti Nagari script, which reads Gaura Simha Manipureshwarat (Gaura Simha’s kingdom).

Another rare coin, minted under Kashmiri king Pravarasena and dating back to circa 537 AD, sold for Rs 5.5 lakh. Unlike his predecessors and successors, who chose to inscribe the images of a goddess with their own images, Pravarasena inscribed the Lord Shiva’s image on the coins, says Todywalla.

Alongside the auction is a three-day exhibition of the 900 coins and bank notes, some dating back to 600 BC, which is open to all.