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ON-LINE ORDER FORM Alphabetical Listings
Coins by theme or topic
New Arrivals
World Coin Sets List
Site Map
Home Page |
AFFORDABLE
EARLY
ANCIENT SILVER
COIN
This is
one of the most affordable early ancient silver coins
available. It was struck from about 600BC to 327BC in the
area of northern Pakistan and north-eastern Afghanistan. Some
references attribute the coin to the region of Gandhara Janapada, while
others attribute it to Taxila, which was the major city in that
region. One side of the slightly concave coin has the six
petaled Taxila "flower" design that was used on most coins of the
region at that time. The other side is blank. The
coin is approximately 12 to 14mm in diameter. It is likely the coins
were first struck shortly before the region was invaded by Persian
emperor Darius the Great in 518BC. The coins continued to be
issued under Persian rule, probably until Alexander the Great
conquered
the region in 327BC. The coin is denominated as 1/8
Santamanas. 
This
unusual bent-bar Satamana is one of the earliest coins of
India. It is believed to have been issued by the Kuru and
Panchala realms in north-central India between about 450BC and
350BC. The thick, slightly bent billon (low grade silver) are
approximately 22 to 24mm long, 11 to 14mm wide and about 3mm
thick. A crude seven-armed “taxila” symbol is on either end
on the concave side of the bar, the convex side is blank. The
coins are modeled after the silver Taxila
and Gandhara bent bar coins
used in what is now Pakistan. It is an interesting and
affordable example of a very early coin.
The Indo-Greeks descended from
Alexander the Great, who conquered
northern India in 326BC. They were the eastern most part of Hellenistic
culture, ruling the area around Afghanistan, Pakistan and north-western
India. They maintained Greek culture, religion and language,
incorporating it with elements of Indian culture and language.
Apollodotus II was one of the greatest Indo-Greek kings.
During his reign, from about 80 to 65BC he re-established much of the
glory and territory of the Indo-Greek kingdoms. After his
death the Indo-Greek kingdom fragmented and soon disappeared.
This silver drachm of Apollodotus II reflects both the Greek and Indian
culture. The obverse depicts the bust of the king with a
Greek legend that translates as "Of
Apollodotus the Great, Savior & Father loving King".
The reverse depicts Athena Alkidemos standing and has the legend in
Kharoshthi script that translates "Savior
King Appolodotus".
He obviously thought well of
himself. The coin is approximately 17mm in diameter. It is an
attractive and historic ancient silver coin from the farthest reaches
of Greek culture. 
An
elephant is depicted on obverse of this ancient Karshapana of the
Satavahana (Andhra) Empire. At its peak the empire controlled most of
central and southern India. The reverse depicts the Ujjain
symbol, also known as the Satavahana symbol. The symbol comprises of
four circles attached to the ends of the bars of a cross. The
coin was issued by the early Satakarni dynasty between about 30 AD and
107AD. The Satavahana Empire ruled most of central and
southern India and engaged in trade with the Roman Empire. The coin is
struck in a copper and lead alloy called potin.
After the
split of the Kushan Empire around 230AD, the eastern portion became a
vassal state of the Sasanian
Empire is known as the
Kushano-Sassanians. It controlled parts of what are now
Afghanistan and Pakistan. It remained until about 350AD, when the area
was conquered by the White Huns (Hephthalites). These small,
crude copper coins, sometimes called a Drachm or a unit, were minted
between about 241 and 350AD. They are some of the last coins of the
Kushano-Sasanians. They are modeled after the Sasanian silver Drachm,
however are smaller, much cruder and made of copper. One side
features the
bust of the king, the other features a Zoroastrian fire
altar. 
The
Pala Dynasty arose in Bengal India in the mid-eighth century after a
period of anarchy. They were astute diplomats, military
conquerors and scholars. They established and promoted
universities, built grand temples and monasteries, their missionaries
established Buddhism in Tibet, their army was noted for its corps of
war elephants and it had an extensive navy. Most numismatists
attribute these crude silver
Drachms to the Palas during a period of dynastic decline
between about 850 and 950AD. The designs of the coins are
based on the Sasanian
Drachm, which had not been stuck for hundreds of
years. Each generation created new coins by copying the designs of the
crudely made coins already found in circulation. One side had
the head of
the king. The other side had a fire altar. By the time the
Palas came to power the coiners had no concept of what the original
coins looked like, resulting in a design that bears little
resemblance to the original. Every coin is different, and
every coin is crude.
Sindh
(Sind) is located in what is now the south-eastern portion of
Pakistan. The Habbaris were Arab traders and merchants that
settled in Sindh in pre-Islamic times. Despite living in
India for hundreds of years and marrying locals, they maintained their
Arab identity, language and customs. By the mid 9th century
AD they were able to assert control over Sindh, paying only nominal
allegiance to the Abbasid Caliph. The coinage of the Habbarids of Sind
(also known as the Amirs of Sindh) consisted of small (10 to
11mm) silver Dammas (Dhammas) that feature Arabic inscriptions on both
sides. In 1026 Ghaznavid Sultan Mahmud conquered
Sindh. We are pleased to offer silver Dammas of two of the
Habbarid sultans of Sindh. Abdallah I, who ruled from about
884 to 913AD, and Ali, who ruled from about 973 to 987AD
Raja
Raja ruled the Chola Empire from about 985 to 1014AD. He
greatly expanded his realm to control southern India, northern
Sri Lanka and the Maldives. His powerful navy extended his
influence as far as Malaysia and Indonesia. This copper Massa
(also called a Kasu) features a crude depiction of the king standing on
one side and the king seated on the other. Some sources call the crude
line drawing the "octopus man" or the "monkey man". It is a moderately
priced, thousand year old coin from a once vast, but now forgotten
empire. 
There
is debate among numismatists concerning the meaning of the design of
this unusual coin. This clear, well-struck silver coin was
issued by the Chalukya Empire in the Gujarat region of western India
around
1000 AD. The coin is generally referred to as a Gadhaiya
Paisa
or a silver Drachm. The design appears to be loosely based on
the Sasanian
Drachm of hundreds of years earlier. The original coin
was a thin half-dollar sized coin depicting the king on one side and a
fire altar on the other. Each generation of coin
engraver copied designs from coins in circulation, without seeing
the original design or knowing what it was. Over time the
coin evolved into a thick dime sized coin and the design took on new
meanings. Some claim that what was the head of the king turned into a
phallic symbol (so could you call the king a dick-head?)
Others claim the coin is a Zoroastrian portrayal of hell and
heaven. Hell is represented shown by the soul suspended head
downward, with a spike driven through the eye, surrounded by snakes and
demons. The other side represents heaven. The lines and dots
on the other side represent the sun, moon, stars and the Chinwad Bridge
which souls must cross to enter heaven. Either way it is an
unusual and reasonably priced ancient silver coin.
Shah
Jahan ruled the Mughal Empire of India from 1628 to 1658. His
court was noted for its great pomp and splendor. His jewel
collection was the finest in the world. He engaged in massive
construction projects, first by rebuilding much of his capital city of
Agra, then he moved the capital to Delhi where he built the huge Red
Fort as well as numerous mosques. He is most remembered for
building the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum for one of his three
wives. Despite all this glory, he was overthrown by his son,
who kept him in prison until his death in 1666. This thick,
somewhat irregular rectangular or square copper 1 Fulus was struck at
the Ujjain Mint for Shah Jahan. It is a crude coin from a
spectacular Mughal Emperor.
This
copper Kaserah (also called a Punchashi or Fals). was struck by
Muslim Sultan Fath Shah of Kashmir. Between about 1486 to
1517 he gained and lost the throne of Kashmir three times through
seemingly endless battles and palace intrigues. He paid his mercenaries
by allowing them to plunder his capital.
He died in 1520. JAMMU & KASHMIR COIN DEPICTS KASHMIR
DEER: 200 RUPEES 2020 PROOFINEXPENSIVE
GOLD
COIN FROM COCHIN, INDIA 
Cochin
is an ancient trading port located near the southern tip of
India. It traded with the Romans in ancient times. Vasco da
Gama set up a trading center in Cochin in 1502.
Over the years control of the region changed hands many
times. These tiny gold fannams were produced in Cochin from
about 1795 to 1850, regardless of who was in
control. The coins were popular with the natives as it allowed even the
poor to be able to hoard gold. The coins are about 7 to 9mm in diameter
and weigh between about .3 and .4 grams. The design
consists of a series of lines and dots. It is one of the
least expensive gold coins available today.
Tanjore,
now known as Thanjavur, is a city in south India. It did not
have the authority to issue coins. In the late 19th or early
20th century it issued these small copper Puveera tokens, apparently to
help carry on commerce during an important local festival. 
The
Dutch took Negapatnam, a port city in south-east India, from the
Portuguese in 1658. It served as the capital of the Dutch
East India Companies operations in southeast India from 1690 until it
was conquered by the British in 1784. In 1695 the Dutch mint in
Negapatnam struck these crude, undated, copper Duits for use in
southeast India
and Ceylon. One side has a crude depiction of the Goddess
Kali, the Goddess of death, destruction and disease. The
other side has the name of the city in Tamil. The coin is
about 13mm to 14mm in diameter. Coins of Dutch India are
difficult to find.
The
French East India Company took control and established a trading post
at Pondicherry on the south east coast of India in 1673. In
1693 the Dutch East India Company captured the town and controlled it
until 1699, when it was returned to the French by the Treaty of
Ryswick. The Dutch issued this undated bronze 1 Cash coin
during the brief six year period of Dutch control of Pondicherry. The
coin features a crude depiction of Kali, the Hindu Goddess of death,
destruction and disease on one side and Hindu legends on the
other. 
Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama first visited India in 1498. Portugal soon
became the first European nation to establish colonies in India, and
for many years enjoyed a profitable monopoly on European trade with
India. With the coming of the British and Dutch in the 17th
century, Portuguese power declined, until all that was left were three
minor outposts on the west coast of India. In 1961, after
years of preaching non-violence, the Indian armed forces invaded these
last remaining outposts and forcibly annexed them, thus bringing an end
to this long series of colonial coins. We offer the 1961
Portuguese India 10 Centavos in Uncirculated condition. It
was the last coin produced before the Indian invasion. The
coin features the arms of Portuguese India on one side and the
denomination on the other.
This copper 1 Cash coin was struck by
the British East India Company
from 1730’s to the 1750’s for use in their Madras Presidency.
The Madras Presidency controlled a vast territory encompassing much of
south-west India. The royally chartered but privately owned
stock company had its own army and exercised administrative control of
the region as well as minting its own coins. The appointed
company official in charge of the region was called a President, hence
the name “Presidency”. These small (8 - 10mm) coins have a
simple design, with the East India Company “bale mark” on one side and
the date on the other. Despite the simple design, not much
care was taken making the hand-struck coins, and in most examples the
last digit of the date is not visible. Those with a readable
date have a catalog value of $115.00. We have some that are
dated 1733, and some without the last digit of the date which we can
offer for much less.
Until
1835 the British East India Company ruled India through regions known
as Presidencies. Each Presidency issued its own coins. From
the Bengal Presidency we have this undated copper 1 Pie coin.
The design consists only of the denomination written in English,
Bengali, Persian and Hindi. The 16.5mm coin was struck at the
Calcutta mint from 1831 until 1835. It is Uncirculated,
though has picked up some toning over the last 180 or so years, so we
call it AU-UNC.UNCIRCULATED OLD COINS
OF BRITISH INDIA
One
side of this unusual oblong 27.5mm x 17mm copper token has the
legends "TEA STALL *
H.M. * LTD. INDORE", the other side depicts the
number "4"
on a teacup. The token is attributed as a 4 Anna token issued
by Hukumchand Mills in Indore, India. The token was probably
used in the company canteen sometime between the 1930’s and
1950’s. Hukumchand Mills was a large cotton mill that went
bankrupt and closed down in 1991, owing wages and benefits to some 6000
workers. Since then the mill has been torn down. Attempts
have been made to sell the land to provide funds to pay the workers,
however disputes between various government agencies has prevented the
sale of the land. After more than a quarter of a century the
workers have still not
been paid and the case drags on in court.
India
introduced their first decimal coins in 1957. The coins were
initially called Naye Paise, or new Paise, to distinguish them from the
previous coins. In order to aid the many blind in the country, each
coin was distinctly different. This four coin set includes
the round 1 Naye Paisa, scalloped edge 2 Naye Paisa, the square 5 Naye
Paise, and the scalloped edge 10 Naye Paisa all dated 1957. The coins
have the denomination on one side and the lions from the Sarnath pillar
of Ashoka, which serves as the national emblem of India. 
India
celebrated its hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi
with these commemorative 2 and 5 Rupee coins. One side
features
the logo of the Games, the other features the features three lions from
the Pillar of Asoka. The games drew 6,081 athletes from 71
Commonwealth nations and dependencies competing in 272 events, making
it the largest Commonwealth Games ever. It was also the most
expensive costing over $2 billion, substantially above its original
budget of $307 million. Despite apprehension in the weeks
leading
up to the game due slow pace in completing the facilities the Games
were well received and closed on a positive note
This
circulating commemorative 5 Rupees dated 2010 commemorates the 150
Years of Income Tax in India. The Income Tax Department was
established in 1860. The coin depicts a bee hovering over a
lotus flower and ancient Indian philosopher, economist and royal
advisor Chanakya who said "Ideally
governments should collect taxes
like a honey bee, which sucks just the right amount of honey from the
flower so that both can survive". The
obverse of
the coin depicts the ancient lion pillar of Ashoka. The coin
is Uncirculated, but is poorly struck as is typical of many modern
Indian coins. It is an unusual topic to commemorate.
A
tiger standing in front of a palm tree are featured on each of these
four coins commemorating the "Platinum Jubilee" (75th anniversary) of
the Reserve Bank of India. The design is the seal of the bank, which
was based on the gold Mohur coin of the British East India
Company. The bank was founded in 1935 as a privately held
institution that acted as the central bank for India. It was
also the central bank for Burma until 1947.
Following India's independence, it was nationalized in 1949 and is now
held by the Indian government. It is the main monetary
authority in India, with responsibility for all currency issues,
management of foreign exchange, credit and interest rates. It
is the supervisor and lender of last resort of all Indian commercial
banks. Despite these vast powers, the coins it issued to
commemorate itself are poorly struck with weak or missing design
elements. It makes one wonder just how effective the Bank really is.
The four coin set includes the bi-metallic 10 Rupees, nickel-brass 5
Rupees, stainless steel 2 and 1 Rupees dated 2010. The 3 lions from the
ancient Pillar of Ashoka is on the obverse. Together the
coins catalog for $16.00, however our price is much less.
India
issued two circulating commemorative coins to honor the 60th
anniversary of the first sitting of the Parliament of India:
a 27mm bimetallic 10 Rupees, and a 23mm nickel-brass 5
Rupees. Both 2012 dated coins have similar designs
featuring Parliament House on one side and the Lion capitol of
the Pillar of Ashoka on the other. Both coins are Uncirculated, though
may be a bit weakly struck. 
Abul
Kalam Azad was a Muslim Indian scholar and a leader in the Indian
independence movement. He advocated religious harmony among
India’s religions and opposed the division of India and
Pakistan. After India gained independence in 1947, he served
as the nations first Education Minister until shortly before his death
in 1958. This undated Indian 5 Rupee coin commemorating the
125th anniversary of his birth was issued in October 2014. He is
depicted on the reverse. The obverse of the 23mm
nickel-bronze coin features the three lions from the ancient Pillar of
Asoka.
India
issued this 2016 dated 5 Rupee coin to commemorate the 150th
anniversary of the Allahabad High Court. The court was
established in Agra in 1866, making it one of the first high courts to
be established in India. In 1868 the court was moved to
Allahabad. The reverse of the coin depicts the center facade
of Allahabad High Court Building emerging from a book and the years
"1866 2016". The obverse of the 23mm nickel-bronze coin features the
three lions from the ancient Pillar of Asoka.
This
bi-metallic 2012 dated 10 Rupees coin from India was struck at the
Noida mint. The mintmark is a dot below the date. Nodia is
short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority. It
is a modern planned city located near New Delhi that came into
administrative
existence in 1976. The obverse features the national emblem of the
three lions from the Pillar of Asoka. The Pillar of Asoka is
a sandstone monument from the third century BC. The reverse
of the coin features 10 rays, representing “connectivity and
information technology”. Beneath the rays is the new Rupee
symbol and the number 10. The coin is Uncirculated, but like
most modern Indian coins, may not be well struck.
The
United Nations declared that June 21, 2015, the summer solstice, to be
the First International Day of Yoga. Yoga is an ancient Yoga is an
ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in
India. To commemorate the event India issued a bi-metallic 10
Rupees coin. The coin is dated June 21, 2015 and features the
International Day of Yoga emblem along with the legends "INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA"
and "YOGA FOR HARMONY
& PEACE" in English and Hindi. The
standard 10 Rupee design featuring the ancient Pillar of Asoka is on
obverse. Because we received requests for multiple pieces from those
that wanted to
hand them out at their Yoga class, we now offer the coin in groups of
10 at a discounted price.
India
recently released this 2016 dated bi-metallic 10 Rupee coin to
commemorate the 125th anniversary of its national archives. The
archives were founded in 1891 as the Imperial Records
Department. The coin depicts the National Archives
building in New Delhi on the reverse. The obverse of the 27mm
coin features the Lion Pillar of Ashoka and the denomination. The coin
is Uncirculated, but like most modern Indian coins, is poorly struck.
JAMMU & KASHMIR COIN DEPICTS
KASHMIR DEER
Jammu
and Kashmir is a disputed region with portions controlled by India,
Pakistan and China.
Kashmir was an
independent kingdom until
1586 when it was conquered by the Mughals. India and Pakistan
gained independence in 1947 and immediately began fighting over the
region. The region was divided between the two nations with
the northern most portion going to China. Since then the
three nations have fought multiple wars over the territory.
Many residents would prefer Kashmir to be an independent nation rather
than being divided between the warring parties.
This unofficial 2020 dated silver-plated Proof 200 Rupee coin of Jammu
and Kashmir features a Kashmir Stag (also called a hangul) on one side
and the arms of Jammu and Kashmir on the other. It is a
critically endangered species with only a few hundred
remaining. The obverse depicts the arms of Jammu and
Kashmir. The coin has a mintage of only 160 pieces.OLD COPPER COIN OF MUSLIM KASHMIR - AE KASERAH
FATH SHAH
1486-1517
This
three coin set includes all of the current Bangladesh coins issued for
circulation: the 1, 2 and 5 Taka. All three coins
depict Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was one of the founding
fathers of Bangladesh and served as Premier until his assassination
in 1975. His daughter, Sheikh Hasina has been Prime Minister
since 2008. The reverse of the 1 and 2 Taka
features the national emblem, a stylized lotus blossom floating on
water, which is a fitting symbol for a nation that much of which is
barely above sea-level and floods regularly. The reverse of
the ten-sided 5 taka features the emblem of the national
bank. All three coins are steel.
This
attractive 1 Pice coin of Bhutan has an unusual design. One
side features four Buddhist symbols. The other side is
divided into nine sections featuring eight Buddhist symbols and the
name of the country in the Bhutanese language in the central
square. The 21.3mm undated bronze coin was struck in 1951 and
1955. The coin is Uncirculated.
Bhutan
is a small, isolated kingdom tucked between Tibet and India.
It is a peaceful place, where the king measures his countries' progress
by its Gross National Happiness rather than its Gross National Product.
The nation’s rich Buddhist heritage is reflected in this 1979 four-coin
set. Though dated almost 40 years ago, they along with Indian Rupees,
are the current coins in circulation. The nickel-plated steel
1 Ngultrum features "the wheel of law" on one side and eight Buddhist
symbols on the other The brass-plated steel 25 Chetrums
features a pair of "golden fish". The eight Buddhist symbols
are on one side of the bronze 10 Chetrums while a shell is on the
other. The bronze 5 Chetrums portrays the first coin of
Bhutan, the 19th century Deb Rupee.
This is a fascinating
set from a distant and little-known land.
In
2000 Nepal issued a circulating commemorative 1 Rupee commemorating
the 100th anniversary of the Gorkhapatra Newspaper. The paper
was the first to be established in Nepal. The 20mm brass coin features
an inscription within a “wreath” made up of 10 newspaper readers. The
obverse is the traditional Kingdom of Nepal emblem featuring various
Hindu symbols 
Nepal
recently released this 2012 dated copper-nickel 50 Rupee coin
commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Scouting in Nepal. One
side of the coin depicts the Nepal Scout emblem. The other
side features Baden Powell Scout Peak. The peak, formerly known as
Urkema Peak, was renamed by the government of Nepal in 2007 to
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the world Scouting movement.
The peak, part of the Himalayas, stands 19,114 feet (5826m).
100th ANNIVERSARY OF
SCOUTING SILVER COIN FROM PORTUGAL
In
March 2015 Nepal released a 100 Rupee coin commemorating the 50th
anniversary of the Nepal Junior Red Cross Society. The 29mm
copper-nickel colored coin features a red cross on one side and Mount
Everest on the other. The coin is dated VS2071 which
corresponds
to 2014-2015 AD. Founded in 1965 as a wing of the Nepal Red
Cross
Society, the Nepal Junior Red Cross has some 800,000 members in almost
3,500 circles spread throughout the country. Their training
proved valuable in the aftermath of the recent
earthquae.
The coin is Uncirculated, though may have some toning due to the way
the Nepal mint handles coins.CEYLON
CELEBRATES 2500 YEARS
OF BUDDHISM WITH SILVER 5 RUPEE
Ceylon
(now
Sri Lanka) celebrated 2500 years of Buddhism in 1957 with this
circulating commemorative silver 5 Rupee coin. The obverse
features a design based on an Anuradhapura Moonstone dating from the
4th century BC. The moonstone is unique feature of the
Sinhalese architecture that is usually found at entrances and the
bottom of staircases. The circular design represents the
endless cycle of repeated birth, mundane existence and death.
At the center is the numeral 2500 surrounded by flower
petals. Next is a procession of an elephant, horse, lion and
bull repeated twice. The animals represent birth, decay,
disease and death respectively. Then comes a ring
of sixteen geese with lotus flowers in their beaks.
The geese symbolize the distinction between good and evil.
The lotus symbolizes Nirvana and the end of endless rebirth.
The reverse features a lotus flower, denomination and date in English
and Sinhalese. The 39mm coin was struck in sterling
silver at the British Royal Mint. It contains .8404 troy ounces of
silver. It had a mintage of 500,000 pieces, of which 258,000
were later returned to the mint and melted. Since then many
more have been melted making it a difficult coin to find today.
Sri
Lanka issued this 2018 circulating commemorative 10 Rupee coin for
the 75th anniversary of their Signal Corps. The Signal Corps,
founded in 1943 during World War II. Today it provides
military communications, information technology and electronic warfare
support for the Sri Lankan Army. The coin depicts Mercury,
the emblem of the corps, standing in front of a globe of the
world. The denomination is on the reverse. The 24.4
mm coin is struck in stainless steel. AFGHANISTAN
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