Coins I Love...!

It has been a tight schedule both on personal front as well as official front. Though I am keeping on getting new and new coins thanks to my friends, there was hardly a time when any update has happened with my collection perspective.

There was a big backlog, and I have decided to start one step at a time. Starting with a rare coin, which I purchased in ebay.in.

Only today the coin was delivered, in nicely packed postal cover. I had been eager to get this coin for so long and it only materialized today. It costs me a lot, but I think its going to be worth.

5 Rupees coin, Unity in Diversity (Cross Coin) 2007

I have to thank my wife for this, for I have not been keeping my promises of not buying any coins. I could not resist this though :)

I have been really lucky to have got such great colleagues who help me in building my coin collection. I must really thank Mickey Hughes who while in India taught me a lot about US coins. He was the real inspiration for me that I started cataloging my coin collection which I have obtained from my father. Mickey was really enthusiastic in sharing some of his US coins, which were my first US.

Slowly in a span of about 3 years the collection has crossed 100 coins, yes its today. I must thank both +Pradeep NV  and +jagadish hunagund, for their support to build my coin collection. Being so far away from US, I would have never got such an opportunity to collect this many coins in this short span. With the addition of the following unique coins, I have totally 113 coins, out of them 39 are unique.

Today there were three unique coins added (click on the coin to see more information about it in en.numista.com) :

Also it seems that God has shown mercy by connecting with such enthusiastic persons. God is great.

Euro 1 Cent - Germany

The 1 Cent features German oak twig in the observe which symbolizes stability. The Oak twig is surrounded by 12 stars.

The number of stars represents completeness while their position in a circle represents unity. The stars do not vary according to the members of either organisation as they are intended to represent all the peoples of Europe, even those outside European integration. (Ref: European Symbols).

In the Reverse, A globe next to the facial value, shows Europe in relation to Africa and Asia.

Here are the features of the coin:

Country	Germany - Federal Republic
Year	2002-2012
Value	1 Euro Cent 0.01 EUR = 0.013 USD
Metal	Copper plated Steel
Weight	2.3 g
Diameter	16.25 mm
Thickness	1.67 mm
Engravers	R. Lederbogen (obverse) L. Luycx (reverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Coin Information Courtesy: Numista

 

Country	India - British
Year	1942-1945
Value	1 Anna (1/16)
Metal	Nickel-brass
Weight	3.89 g
Diameter	20.5 mm
Engraver	Percy Metcalfe (obverse)
Shape	Scalloped (with 12 notches)
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes

Country	India - British
Year	1912-1936
Value	1 Anna (1/16)
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	3.9 g
Diameter	20.5 mm
Engraver	Edgar Bertram Mackennal (obverse)
Shape	Scalloped (12 notches)
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes

There are two varieties of the coin. It is easy to identify from the ribbon on the emblem below SINGAPURA written in the observe.

The first variety was minted between 1987 and 1991 wherein the ribbon was pointing upwards. Also the stars in the emblem was an outline.

In the second variety minted between 1992 and 2011 the ribbon was pointing downwards and the stars are fully filled with the shape.

Country	Singapore
Year	1992-2011
Value	1 Dollar 1 SGD = 0.79 USD
Metal	Aluminium-bronze
Weight	6.2900 g
Diameter	22.3 mm
Thickness	2.4 mm
Engraver	Christopher Ironside (reverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Coin Information Courtesy: Numista

Country	Singapore
Year	1992-2011
Value	10 Cents 0.10 SGD = 0.08 USD
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	2.85 g
Diameter	19.4 mm
Thickness	1.38 mm
Engraver	Christopher Ironside (reverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Country	Singapore
Year	1992-2011
Value	20 Cents 0.20 SGD = 0.16 USD
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	5.6500 g
Diameter	21.36 mm
Thickness	1.72 mm
Engraver	Christopher Ironside (reverse)
Shape	Round

Country	Singapore
Year	1992-2010
Value	50 Cents 0.50 SGD = 0.40 USD
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	7.1900 g
Diameter	24 mm
Thickness	2.06 mm
Engraver	Christopher Ironside (reverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Singapore is undoubtedly the foremost country I would love to visit once more.

It is a country you should visit before you die. Though the country is small, it has got something to offer for everyone. I still cherish the memories of Merlion and places which I could not forget very easily.

Check the 1967-85 series of 5 cents here.

The coins features are:

Country	Singapore
Year	1992-2011
Value	5 Cents 0.05 SGD = 0.040 USD
Metal	Aluminium-bronze
Weight	1.6000 g
Diameter	16.25 mm
Thickness	1.22 mm
Engraver	Christopher Ironside (reverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Coin Information Courtesy: Numista, 

Homi Jehangir Bhabha, (Hindi: होमी भाभा; October 30 1909 – January 24 1966; FRS) was an Indian nuclear physicist, founding director, and professor of physics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Colloquially known as "father of Indian nuclear programme", Bhabha was the founding director of two well-known research institutions, namely the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) and the Trombay Atomic Energy Establishment (now named after him); both sites were the cornerstone of Indian development of nuclear weapons which Bhabha also supervised as its director.


In January 1966, Bhabha died in a plane crash near Mont Blanc, while heading to Vienna, Austria to attend a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Scientific Advisory Committee.

After his death, the Atomic Energy Establishment at Trombay was renamed as the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in his honour. In addition to being an able scientist and administrator, Bhabha was also a painter and a classical music and opera enthusiast, besides being an amateur botanist. He is one of the most prominent scientists that India has ever had. Bhabha also encouraged research in electronics, space science, radio astronomy and microbiology. The famed radio telescope at Ooty, India was his initiative, and it became a reality in 1970. The Homi Bhabha Fellowship Council has been giving the Homi Bhabha Fellowships since 1967 Other noted institutions in his name are the Homi Bhabha National Institute, an Indian deemed university and the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai, India.

Read more about Homi Jehangir Bhabha and his life.


The Rupees 10 Bimetallic coin in honour of the eminent scientist was in 2010.

Read RBI Press Release here.





Shape and outside diameter - Circular 27 mm (Bi-metallic)
Metal Composition -
Outer Ring : (Aluminium Bronze): 
Copper - 92%, Zinc - 6%, Nickel - 2%

Centre Piece: (Cupro Nickel): 
Copper - 75%, Nickel - 25%

I got the coin with plain edge.

There is a general misconception regarding the date printed in this coin. Years 2008-2009 is printed in this coin. Though the year 2009 is the centenary of Homi Bhabha. But RBI has issued this coin as 2008-2009 because it is celebrated as centenary year. 


Just because 2008 is printed it is not an error coin. Check the RBI Press release for more details of the coin.

The Indian rupee sign is the currency sign used for the Indian rupee, the official currency of India. It is relatively new, the design only having been presented to the public by the Government of India on 15 July 2010, following its selection through an open competition among Indian residents. Before its adoption, the most commonly used symbols for the rupee were Rs, Re or, if the text was in an Indian language, an appropriate abbreviation in that language.

Upon the symbol's adoption in July 2010, the Indian government said it would try to adopt the sign within six months in the country and globally within 18 to 24 months. The Indian rupee sign is now used in all leading newspapers and can be seen on price tags for products, and for various articles in papers where currency is used, this new sign being adopted instead of previous sign (Rs). Major banks have also started printing cheques with the Indian rupee sign where the traditional "₨" sign was used. The Indian Postal Department has also started printing postage stamps with the Indian rupee sign, when it issued the Commonwealth Games commemorative stamps on 3 October 2010.

In his budget speech on 28 February 2011 the finance minister Pranab Mukherjee announced that the sign will be incorporated on future coin issues. Coins of denomination of Rupees 1,2,5 and 10 with the new Rupee Symbol have been put into circulation. As of January 2012, the new Indian rupee sign has been incorporated in the currency notes in the denomination of s 10, 100, 500 and 1000.

The new sign is a combination of the Devanagari letter "र" (ra) and the Latin capital letter "R" without its vertical bar (similar to the R rotunda). The parallel lines at the top (with white space between them) are said to make an allusion to the tricolor Indian flag and also depict an equality sign which symbolizes the nation's desire to reduce economic disparity. The final selected symbol was designed by D Udaya Kumar, a B.Arch and student of visual communication at the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay. The thoughts and philosophy behind the design can be seen in a presentation.

The Rupees 5 information is as below:

Country	India - Republic
Year	2011
Value	5 Rupees 5 INR = 0.10 USD
Metal	Nickel-brass
Diameter	23 mm
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Information Courtesy: Wikipedia, Coin Information Courtesy: Numista

A common coin from Singapore, which I collected when I was there in this lovely country.

Country	Singapore
Year	1967-1985
Value	5 Cents 0.05 SGD = 0.040 USD
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	1.4000 g
Diameter	16.25 mm
Thickness	0.96 mm
Engraver	Stuart Devlin (obverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑

Coin Information Courtesy: Numista

I bought this coin from Sapna Book Store , Bangalore. This coin was pasted to a board with information.

I must confess I bought this coin when I was just a novice (well I am still a novice but just knows to buy coins in good form not a pasted one). This one is intended for school-students to teach our rich history.

From my understanding (of various websites) this is not such a rare coin. It can be easily procured for Rs.50 from even ebay website.

It is very good for us to educate our new generation of such coins minted in past, particularly the British Indian coins. This will make learning of history very easy, and make our future generation understand the importance of our history.

This particular coin was minted in Mumbai mint (as it does not have a mint mark), the same coin was also minted from Calcutta (dot mark below the year).

The coin contains observe with portrait of George V King Emperor who was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War (1914–1918) until his death in 1936.

Country	India - British
Year	1912-1936
Value	1 Anna (1/16)
Metal	Copper-nickel
Weight	3.9 g
Diameter	20.5 mm
Engraver	Edgar Bertram Mackennal (obverse)
Shape	Scalloped (12 notches)
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes

Coin Information Courtesy: Numista

This coins is also from my fathers coin collection. Below mentioned are its features:

Country	India - British
Year	1942-1945
Value	1/2 Anna (1/32)
Metal	Nickel-brass
Weight	2.92 g
Diameter	17.3 mm
Engraver	Percy Metcalfe (obverse)
Shape	Quadrangular
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes

I exactly do not remember how I obtained this coin. It could be from my father's collection, or from some coins I bought from book store.


The following gives the complete information about the metal and make of the coin:

Country	India - Republic
Year	1950 - 1955
Metal	Copper Nickel
Weight	2.85 g
Edge	Smooth
Shape	Quadrangular (4-Sided)
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Observe	Lettering: HALF ANNA in English and Hindi with Year 1950 in circle around a bull.
Reverse	GOVERNMENT OF INDIA in circle around the Ashoka Symbol

Information Courtesy: Numista

I owe credits to my friend and colleague for the coins from Hungary. I have never visited this country, but am fascinated to know more about the country after seeing the coins.

The following gives the complete information about the metal and make of the coin:

Country	Hungary
Year	1996-2010
Metal	Bi-Metallic Brass plated Steel center in Stainless Steel ring
Weight	8 g
Diameter	23.8 mm
Thickness	2.2 mm
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Observe	Lettering: MAGYAR KÖZTÁRSASÁG 1997
Reverse	Lettering: BP. 100 FORINT

Information Courtesy: Numista

One Quarter Anna - British India.

Here is the coin features:

Country	India - British
Year	1940-1942
Value	1/4 Anna (1/64)
Metal	Bronze
Weight	4.6 g
Diameter	25.33 mm
Engraver	Percy Metcalfe (obverse)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes
Obverse	Lettering: GEORGE VI KING EMPEROR
Reverse	Lettering: ONE QUARTER ANNA INDIA 1940
Edge	Smooth

Though this coin is called PICE, my father vouched that they used to call the coin "Chilli Kaasu". This probably meant the lower denomination post Indian Independence.

This is one of the coins which were issued by Government of India after 1950 when India became Republic. This coin was minted during 1950-1955.

It should be noted that the coin was introduced when Indian Coinage was not decimal in nature. 64 Pice constituted 1 Rupee. The Pice was equal to 1/4 Anna which was in circulation.

The following are the details of my coin:

Country	India - Republic
Year	1950-1955
Value	1 Pice = 1/4 Anna = 1/64 Rupee (1/64)
Metal	Bronze
Weight	2.95 g
Diameter	21 mm
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes
Mint	Calcutta (No Mint Mark)
Observe	Three lions emblem, Lettering: GOVERNMENT·OF·INDIA
Reverse	Prancing horse facing left, Lettering: ONE PICE * एक पैसा 1951

I bought this coin before seriously pursuing coin collection as a full-time hobby. Even years back I was fascinated with coins.

Maybe now only the passion is starting to build up. I bought this coin from a book store in Bangalore.

I am now surprised to why I bought this coin, because this was sold by sticked packaging it in a plastic sheet. I had to carefully remove to see the observe side.

The quality of the coin is not that good. Following is the statistical information about the coin.

Note: The Year 1970 inscribed in the coin is Vikram Samvat 1970, and A.D 1913.

Country	Indian princely states (Gwalior)
Year	1970 (1913)
Calendar	Nepalese
Value	1/4 Anna (1/64)
Metal	Copper
Weight	6.6 g
Diameter	22 mm
Thickness	2.5 mm
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Demonetized	yes

Information Courtesy: Numismata

I owe credits to my friend and colleague for the coins from Hungary. I have never visited this country, but am fascinated to know more about the country after seeing the coins.

The following gives the complete information about the metal and make of the coin:

Country	Hungary
Year	1992-2010
Metal	Nickel-brass
Weight	4.2 g
Diameter	21.2 mm
Thickness	1.30 mm
Engraver	István Kósa, István Bartos
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal alignment ↑↑
Observe	Crane bird, Lettering: MAGYAR KÖZTÁRSASÁG 1993
Reverse	Denomination, Lettering: BP. 5 FORINT
Edge	Smooth

Philippine peso coins are issued by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for circulation in the Philippines and are currently available in seven denominations.


The twenty-five sentimo coin is currently the fourth-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine Piso.

Value	0.25 Philippine Peso
Mass	3.8 g
Diameter	20 mm
Edge	Plain
Composition	Brass plated steel
Color	Yellow
Observe	'Republika ng Pilipinas', denomination, year of minting
Reverse	Words 'Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' along the border. Logo of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, year of design

Source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Website