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.

In India there are four mints:
1. Mumbai (Bombay) Mint
2. Kolkatta (Calcutta) Mint
3. Noida Mint
4. Hyderabad Mint

The circulating coins bear the marks below year:

1. Diamond shape below year - Mumbai Mint
2. No marks below year - Kolkatta Mint
3. A dot below the year - Noida Mint
4. A star below the year - Hyderabad Mint

The Proof coins/uncirculating coins bear differ in the marks shown, but these above are the marks from Mints in India.

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

There is a general misconception among general public about the dates of the Commemorative coin "Homi Jehangir Bhabha" issued in occasion of his Birth Centenary.

To view more about this coin, click here.

Homi J Bhabha was born on 1909, and the year 2009 is his Birth Centenary year. But the coin carries years 2008-2009.

Coin collecting numismatists thought they have found out a rare error coin. There was lot of discussions online and lot of people became more and more greedy. They began to sell this coin for whooping sum of rupees. Newspapers like DNA carried articles on this subject.

But unlike carrying hoax rumors DNA chose to investigate on this issue. It is highly applauding effort to bring out the truth in it rather than print some hoax news.

Here is an excerpt from RBI website about the design of the coin:

Design:   Obverse :  The face of coin shall bear the Lion Capitol of Ashoka Pillar with the legend  "sathyameva jayathe" in Hindi inscribed below, flanked on the left upper periphery with the word "Barath" in Hindi and on the right upper periphery flanked with the word "INDIA" in English.  It shall also bear the denominational value "10" in International Numerals below the Lion Capitol flanked on the left lower periphery with the word  "Rupye" in Hindi and right lower periphery with the word  "RUPEES"  in English. Reverse :  The face of coin shall bear the image of "HOMI BHABHA" with inscription "Homi Bhabha Janma Shatabdi Varsh" in Hindi, on the left periphery and in English "HOMI BHABHA BIRTH CENTENARY YEAR" on the right periphery and the Years "2008-2009" below portrait of Homi Bhabha at the bottom. The new Rupee Ten Coin is a legal tender as provided in the Indian Coinage Act, 1906.

It is very clear even from this notification that it is not an error coin. Now there are people who tell this as a mistake rather than error.

To those, India was celebrating 100th Birth Centenary as Birth Centenary Celebrations and was kick started on October 20, 2008.

1909, October 30 is the birth date of Homi Bhabha. The celebrations started on his 99th Birth Year and continued for the next year. This is the reason for the inscription 2008-2009. It is not a mistake as assumed by people.

The source for this information can be seen from the Nuclear India Magazine VOL. 42/NO. 3-4/Sep.-Oct. 2008. [Government of India - Department of Atomic Energy].

If anyone tells the year in this coin is error/issue tell them with proof that they are wrong. This coin is worth its face value and there is no need to pay anything more.

If you are a coin collector, a newbie like me you might certainly be fooled by people who sell Fake Coins. Fake coins are those coins made by persons with wrong intention of fooling people interested in buying coins. Mainly they are targeted for Foreign customers, but now-a-days that separation has ceased to exist.

I came to know about fake coins through the first coin I bought. Unfortunately it was a fake which I realized some time later. It was an EAST INDIA COMPANY coin HALF ANNA with one side having picture of Radha-Krishna. The year was marked as 1616. Click here for more information on the coin. There are coins marked with years 1818, 1616, 1717 with images of Lord Hanuman, Lord Shiva, Lord Balaji, Lord Panchmukhi Hanuman, Goddess Durga, Goddess Lakshmi etc which are also circulating among websites and dealers. Beware of such fake coins.

I bought this particular coin from Mysore when I went for sight-seeing. In Bangalore also there has been reports of fake coins being sold in the Brigade Road premises. But its not a verified information.

I was searching for some coins in eBay and came across this coin of Indira Gandhi wearing a Rudraksha Chain.  By seeing the coin itself it is crystal clear that its 100% fake.

 

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