Bulgaria stotinki

Ratlam one paisa

Ratlam is one of the important Districts of Madhya Pradesh Which is situated in the North West part of the State "The MALWA" Region.The rajas of Ratlam were Rathor Rajputs, descendants of the younger branch of the Jodhpur ruling family. Ratlam became the premier Rajput state in Western Malwa. The founder, Ratan Singh, received the territory as a grant from Shah Jahan in 1631. The New Town of Ratlam was founded by Captain Borthwick in 1829 with regular and broadened streets and well built houses. Before Maratha collapse some 15% of the state revenue went to Sindhia as tribute, and later it came under British influence. In 1948, the district of Ratlam was created and it became a part of the present Madhya Pradesh.

These coins were struck during the reign of Raja Ranjit Singh(1864-1893 AD) of Ratlam.

Ranjit Singh of Ratlam

Ratlam one paisa, thin planchet

Date: 1945 VS = 1888AD

Ratlam one paisa, thick planchet

Date: 1945 VS = 1888 AD

Never mind the number of "East India company" coins with pictures of Hanuman, Ram, Sita, Shiva and what not on them, this one is a genuine coin of Ratlam minted in 1888AD.

Apart from Hanuman, another object of interest in the portrait is the 'star' directly above the head of Hanuman. That is supposedly the star of India, an order of chivalry founded by queen Victoria in 1861, since Ranjit Singh was also a recipient of the star.

A few years after the mutiny of 1857, it was decided by the British crown to create a new order of knighthood to honour the princes as well as the administrating officers or governors in India as a recognition of their loyalty to the British crown.

The following proclamation was thus passed by the queen:
"The Queen, being desirous of affording to the Princes, Chiefs and People of the Indian Empire, a public and signal testimony of Her regard, by the Institution of an Order of knighthood, whereby Her resolution to take upon Herself the Government of the Territories in India may be commemorated, and by which Her Majesty may be enabled to reward conspicuous merit and loyalty, has been graciously pleased, by Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to institute, erect, constitute, and create, an Order of Knighthood, to be known by, and have for ever hereafter, the name, style, and designation, of "The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India."

Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, KCSI

Note that the star of India was bestowed in three classes and KCSI(Knight commander star of India) was one of them.

Ghanshyamji Ajitsinghji of Dhragandhra wearing the star

Bamgalore, 17 Feb 2012

Schedule of the

2nd National Numismatic Exhibition - 2012

which will be held on 17th, 18th & 19th February 2012

Series of Events

17th Feb 2012
Entry for Stall Dealers | Mobile Dealers | Exhibitors
@ 08:00 AM

Inauguration by
Shri Kishore Jhunjhunwala
&
Shri Rizwan Razak
@ 10:00 AM

____________________________________________________________
18th Feb 2012
Entry for Stall Dealers | Mobile Dealers | Exhibitors
@ 08:00 AM



_______________________________________________________________
19th Feb 2012
Entry for Stall Dealers | Mobile Dealers | Exhibitors
@ 08:00 AM

Prize Distribution
@ 5.00 PM

Closing Ceremony
@ 7:00 PM
____________________________________________________________
*Entry for Public will be open at 10:00 Am on all the 3 days.

The President Convention Center
The Bell Hotel (3 Star)
#88, Next to City Railway Station,
Opposite to Majestic Bus Station,
Bangalore - 560023

Euro(commemorative): Belgium

2 Euro, Louis Braille

Louis Braille was from a small town called Coupvray, near Paris—he was born on January 4 in 1809. Louis became blind by accident, when he was 3 years old. Deep in his Dad's harness workshop, Louis tried to be like his Dad, but it went very wrong; he grabbed an awl, a sharp tool for making holes, and the tool slid and hurt his eye. The wound got infected, and the infection spread, and soon, Louis was blind in both eyes.

All of a sudden, Louis needed a new way to learn. He stayed at his old school for two more years, but he couldn't learn everything just by listening. Things were looking up when Louis got a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, when he was 10. But even there, most of the teachers just talked at the students. The library had 14 huge books with raised letters that were very hard to read. Louis was impatient.

Then in 1821, a former soldier named Charles Barbier visited the school. Barbier shared his invention called "night writing," a code of 12 raised dots that let soldiers share top-secret information on the battlefield without even having to speak. Unfortunately, the code was too hard for the soldiers, but not for 12-year-old Louis!

Louis trimmed Barbier's 12 dots into 6, ironed out the system by the time he was 15, then published the first-ever braille book in 1829. But did he stop there? No way! In 1837, he added symbols for math and music. But since the public was skeptical, blind students had to study braille on their own. Even at the Royal Institution, where Louis taught after he graduated, braille wasn't taught until after his death. Braille began to spread worldwide in 1868, when a group of British men, now known as the Royal National Institute for the Blind, took up the cause.

Now practically every country in the world uses braille. Braille books have double-sided pages, which saves a lot of space. Braille signs help blind people get around in public spaces. And, most important, blind people can communicate independently, without needing print.

Louis proved that if you have the motivation, you can do incredible things.

P.S. The three dots to the left of the portrait stand for 'L' in Braille script, and the two dots on the right stand for 'B' in Braille. So combining them we get L.B. , the initials for Louis Braille.

2 Euro, EMU

On the completion of 10 years of the EMU or the European Monetary Union, commemorative 2 Euro coins were released in every country affiliated with the EMU showing the EMU symbol(person outline with Euro symbol), and the above coin was issued by Belgium government commemorating 10 years of the EMU.

Euro: Belgium

Belgium 1 euro, 1999

Belgium 2 Euro, 2004

Prince Albert II of Belgium

Albert II (born 6 June 1934) is the King of the Belgians, a constitutional monarch. He is a member of the royal house "of Belgium"; formerly this house was named Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. He is the uncle of the current reigning Grand Duke of Luxembourg,

George VI half silver coins

George VI quarter rupee, 1942

Weight: 2.92gm

George VI half rupee, 1944

Weight: 5.83gm

George VI one rupee,1941

Weight: 11.66gm
silver content: 50%(for all of above 3 coins)
Diameter: 30.5mm

The above shown coins are all minted in half silver, but many sellers pass them off as full silver only. It may be noted that coins having 90% silver were minted in 1938 and 1939 in the George VI series, after that the silver content was lowered to 50%. At the same time, the 1939 rupee was made of 50% silver only.

Udaipur coppers

Udaipur quarter anna

Date: 1999 VS=1942 AD


Udaipur half anna

Date: 1999 VS=1942 AD


Udaipur one anna

Date: 2000 VS=1943 AD

Udaipur kingdom/princely state (also called Mewar) is a region of south-central Rajasthan state in western India. It includes the present-day districts of Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Udaipur, and some of the part of Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The region was for centuries a Rajput kingdom that later became a princely state under the British. It was ruled by the Chattari rajputs of Mori Guhilot Parihar and Sisodia dynasties for over 1,400 years.

The legend on obverse reads "chitrakoot Udaipur" and the legend on reverse reads "Dosti Landhan" which means friends of London, as these were struck when Udaipur was a princely state under allegiance to the British rule, and below that we have the date in VS.

The above coins were minted during the reign of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Mewar:

Maharana Bhupal Singh

Maharana Bhupal Singh who succeeded Fateh Singh formally ascended the gaddi in 1930 had been exercising power since 1921 as a result of British intervention. Maharana Bhupal Singh as the ruler of Mewar guided its destiny through India’s most momentous period, the Independence from British Imperial rule With a vision to lead in an age of turbulence. Like Rana Pratap’s heroic defence against the Mughals, Maharana Bhupal Singh’s vision was born out of a deep sense of patriotism and pride in upholding the core values of Suryavanshi Kings.The Maharana’s personal courage at all times exemplified the triumph of the human spirit as he was leading while still Confined to a wheelchair with a crippling spinal disorder.

He was aware of the dynamic social changes sweeping across the country and encouraged the orderly growth of social and political movements. Like his famous ancestors who introduced reforms in the field of education, the Maharana established the Rana Pratap Hindi University at Chittor and an Agricultural College at Udaipur. Schools, especially for girls, were set up. He reformed the judicial powers in his state. He also paid a lot of attention to irrigation works and began the construction of the Bhupal Singh Dam. By 1935, he had set up fifteen dispensaries in various parts of his town. He reformed the local coinage also.

He was also a committed environmentalist, organising long-term afforestation programmes for the Aravalli Hills. Sustained industrial activity made the Mewar economy more vibrant in his reign. The modern exploitation of the long known and famous Zawar mines rich with their zinc, silver and lead content began during his reign. With Independence, came Maharana Bhupal Singh’s finest hour. The ruler, who stood to lose the entire governance of his kingdom, became the first State to merge with the indian Union. His historic words echoed the glory of Rana Sanga and Rana Pratap: “Today is a day of which to be greatly proud. India is independent. It brings to fulfilment the 1500 years’ struggle and endeavour of my forefathers. It becomes my holy duty, on behalf of my ancestors, to hand over to the leaders of free India, this cherished and sacred Flame of Freedom to the country as a whole.”

Maharana Bhupal Singh, acting honourably as the Diwan of Eklingji, served the interests and welfare of his people even though it spelt the end of Mewar’s sovereignty, which began with Guhaditya and was proudly defended for 1500 years. The grateful Government of India nominated him as “Maharaj Pramukh”, the only title of its kind in whole of India .

150 years of income tax bookings

Advertisement in Times of India

One of the long awaited bookings, for the 150 years of income tax has opened so all those looking to buy a 150 rupee coin can now do their bookings. Only the bookings for Brihadeshwara temple is remaining now, which everyone is waiting for.

C. Subramaniam booking

C. Subramaniam coin sets may be booked at this link: http://mumbaimint.in/coinbooking.aspx .

Why attend exhibitions?

I decided to put this one as a separate article as I am putting details of a number of exhibitions in this space. This is particularly for collectors who have never been to an exhibition, even though they may be collecting for some time.

If you are not having any good dealer in your city then exhibitions can be good way to enhance your collection. Dealers from all over India come to sell their coins in National level exhibitions under one roof. So you can get most of the coins you want in a single day. There are large variety of coins to choose from, more than what you can buy. Even if you are generally busy in your work you can still take out at least 1 day in an year and buy what you want for the entire year in that time. You can keep a budget of 15-20k whenever you visit an exhibition. Exhibitions are held many times an year at different cities throughout the country so you can also choose the location which suits you. You may visit as many exhibitions as you want throughout the year, and I would recommend visiting at least one in an year. If you are going for the first time, I would suggest to refrain from heavy buying and to observe as much as you can to learn.

Warning:
Even in an exhibition fakes can be there and there are sellers who look to fleece any new and unsuspecting buyers by selling at high prices, so better to keep your eyes and ears open.

Hyderabad mint bookings 2011

Hyderabad mint 2011 bookings

Mint bookings have opened with the Hyderabad mint for the coins of the Commonwealth games, Louis Braille, Rajendra Prasad, Brihadeshwara temple, mother Teresa, C Subramaniam, Rajendra Prasad, shaheed Bhagat Singh, income Tax and Gur-ta-gaddi in the denominations of 2,5 and 10rs. Bookings will be open until the end of February so there is lot of time to book your coins. Although most of these are available in circulation or can be bought for 15-20rs from your local dealer(without mint packing).

I don't feel any need to book most of these so didn't post this information immediately as it came. Though it should be noted that Bhagat Singh and Gur-ta-gaddi didn't come in circulation so you can book those if you want to. Keep in mind that you can currently get Gur-ta-gaddi from market for 300 rupees or so, so no need to book that one also you can buy that from market straightaway and not have to wait for the mint delivery. So we are only left with Bhagat Singh which may be booked.

Personally I wont book Bhagat Singh also but will buy from my dealer as it comes into the market. These days the mints are selling sub-standard material at exorbitant prices, why be dependent on them.

Euro: Portugal

Portugal 1 Euro, 2002

2 Euro, 2002

The Portuguese euro coins show seven castles and five coat of arms surrounding the royal seal of 1144.

Euro: France cents

France 1 cent, 2007

2 cent, 2007

5 cent, 2004

Marianne is a national emblem of France and represents Liberty and Reason. Marianne is displayed in many places in France and holds a place of honour in town halls and law courts. She symbolises the "Triumph of the Republic", a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la Nation in Paris. The origins of Marianne, depicted by artist Honoré Daumier, in 1848, as a mother nursing two children, Romulus and Remus, or by sculptor François Rude, during the July Monarchy, as an angry warrior voicing the Marseillaise on the Arc de Triomphe, are uncertain. In any case, she has become a symbol in France: considered as a personification of the Republic, she was often used on republican iconography — and heavily caricatured and reviled by those against the republic.

apart from the Euro cents, Marianne also features on postage stamps as well as the former franc currency in parallel with the rooster, which is also a national symbol of France.

10 cent, 1999

The higher denomination French cents show the waling Liberty, which is a prominent symbol of France and has also been a constant feature on the erstwhile Francs. Liberty is often mistaken with Marianne even though she is represented as a classical goddess. Modestly attired, and now wearing a crown of seven rays, Liberty still appears on the French Seal of State seated and holding a fasces in her right hand.

Euro: France

France 1 Euro, 2000

2 Euro, 2001

The French euro coins show a stylized tree drawn by artist Joaquim Jiminez, symbolizing life, continuity and growth. It is contained in a hexagon and is surrounded by the motto of the Republic "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité" or "Liberty,equality, fraternity.

2 Euro, Treaty of Rome

The Treaty of Rome, officially the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, was an international agreement that led to the founding of the European Economic Community on 1 January 1958. It was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany.

In 1951, the Treaty of Paris was signed, creating the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC). The Treaty of Paris was an international treaty based on international law, designed to help reconstruct the economies of the European continent, prevent war in Europe and ensure a lasting peace.

The original idea was conceived by Jean Monnet, a senior French civil servant and it was announced by Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister, in a declaration on 9 May 1950. The aim was to pool Franco-German coal and steel production, as these two raw materials were the basis of the industry (including war industry) and power of the two countries. The proposed plan was that Franco-German coal and steel production would be placed under a common High Authority within the framework of an organisation that would be open for participation to other European countries. The underlying political objective of the European Coal and Steel Community was to strengthen Franco-German cooperation and banish the possibility of war.

France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands began negotiating the treaty. The Treaty establishing the ECSC was signed in Paris on 18 April 1951 and entered into force on 24 July 1952. The Treaty expired on 23 July 2002, after fifty years, as was foreseen.

Euro: Netherland cents

Netherlands 5 cent, 1999

10 cent, 1999

Featured on the Netherland Euro coins is queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. She is the first daughter of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. She studied law at Leiden University. In 1966, she married Claus Von Amsberg, with whom she had three children: Prince Willem-Alexander (born 1967), Prince Friso (born 1968), and Prince Constantijn (born 1969). When her mother Juliana abdicated on 30 April 1980, Beatrix succeeded her as Queen of the Netherlands.