Republic India fakes - 3

RBI 1/4 rupee, 1952
(TEJA MAIN HOON.. MARK IDHAR HAI !!!)

This one does look like an old and valuable coin, but its not. Fact is, the first commemorative to be released in India was released as late as 1964, and that was on the sad occasion of the death of our first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru- 1 rupee and 50 paise coins were released bearing the picture of Nehru. No commemorative was ever released before that in India post independence. Also, the reserve bank was founded in 1935 and in 1952 it completed 17 years, so there was no occasion or reason to releasing a commemorative on the RBI in 1952. A noteworthy point would be the release of coins on RBI showing this lion in 1985, on the occasion of golden jubilee of the founding of the bank. And RBI coins are also going to be released this year in 2010, on the platinum jubilee of the bank. The coins would include a first ever 75 rupee coin as a part of UNC and proof sets.

And BTW, dont miss the "V" mark below the date.

50 paisa with rhino, 1992

Don't know about you, but i can tell this one is a fake on first look. We did have a 25 paisa with rhino on it but no such 50 paisa coin was ever made. The mint mark (star below the date) is too big in this coin. Not a neat forgery by my standards.

Big 1 rupee coins: 1971-74(Jadu tona wale 1 rupees)

Do you I think I have made a mistake by putting these coins here as fake? Do they look real to you? Are you someone who has spent some amount on these? To tell the truth, these look like real to me and not some forgery. I do not know about some experienced collector, but I cant seem to find a fault with them, I think these are very good fakes and look like normal circulated coins.

But there is only one problem: The big one rupee coins of 1971-1974 were never circulated. Rather, they were released as part of the proof sets released by the Bombay mint in those years, and the proof coins of Bombay mint bear the mint mark 'B'. So if you see a 1 rupee coin of these years without the 'B' mark, it is safe to assume that it is fake. Now some of you may say that these would be in the UNC set also, and hence some may not bear that proof coin mint mark. But then that's the very point: The UNC set did not have any 1 rupee coin. The proof sets of those years had one or two big silver coins- in denominations of 10 and 20 or 50, and also a strip from 1 rupee to 1 paisa, and the UNC set was just a 2 coin set, having either 10 rupee and 20 paisa or 50 rupee and 10 rupee coin, no 1 rupee coin. Moreover the proof coins were never circulated so they should not look like normal circulated coins. If some wear and tear is there, then it should be fake as its probably made from some circulated big one rupee issue.

Republic India fakes - 2

Subhash Chandra Bose

Does this picture look funny to you? The Subhash Chandra Bose face has been made out to be very roly poly, and his cap is very small and squat; whereas in the original his person looks good. This one is also a "wrong denomination" fake. Subhash Chandra Bose coins were released in denomination of 2 rupee and not in 1 rupee. Also noteworthy is the spelling of 'Bose" in this one: the 'e' is missing.

Fisheries 1 rupee

One of the few fakes which can be recognized on the basis of wrong denomination. Fisheries commemoratives were released in 20 paisa and 50 paisa denominations, but never in the 1 rupee denomination. I would not say that this one rupee fisheries coin is ugly, but all the same it is not a neat forgery. Someone with a limited knowledge of coins or someone who is a beginner as a numismatist should be able to declare this one as a fake.

1971 food for all 20 paisa

Very ugly fakes. These 20 paisa coins are once again very poor forgeries as they are ugly enough to be easily recognized. How they came to be, is an interesting story. The 1970 sun and lotus 20 paisa brass coin acts a little pricey for its face value as a number of the brass 20 paisa coins were melted as people thought them to be made of gold. In 1971, the sun and lotus 20 paisa was not released for circulation but was only in the UNC and proof sets. The UNC set had a 10 rupee coin and a 20 paisa coin and is now valued at above 13,000 rupees. The proof set had the fore mentioned two and also lower denomination coins from 1 rupee to 1 paisa. Some of those UNC sets were broken and the 10 rupee and the 20 paisa coins were also sold loose. I estimate the value of 1971 10 rupee food for all to be about 4000 rupees and the 20 paisa coin would cost about 1000 rupees if sold loose. Such high valuation may have caused some people to fake this one.

Personally, I would not like to buy that 20 paisa coin as it was not in circulation. Nor would I buy that set at that high a price.

'1972' food for all 20 paisa with sun and lotus

Another bad fake. Unlike the 1971 food for all 20 paisa shown before this one, the 1972 food for all 20 paisa showing the sun and the lotus was never released by the government mints, either for circulation or in any UNC or proof sets. So, if and when you happen to come across a food for all 20 paisa showing the sun and lotus with the date reading as 1972, IT IS UNDOUBTEDLY A FAKE, no matter how good the forgery may be or how neat and clean it may look.

The set released in 1972 was on the occasion of 25 years of independence and it had nothing to do with food for all.

Republic India fakes - 1

5 rupee with wave design, 2007

A number of such 5 rupee coins were in circulation, which were actually fake. The only visible pointer of this coin being a fake is the fuzziness of the design. If you want to know more, then I can tell you that this coin is made of iron, and hence magnetic. If you leave such a coin in moist air for sufficient period of time, then it would also rust. In contrast, the genuine 5 rupee with same design was made of stainless steel.

I also came across similar 5 rupee coins which were made from the commemorative coins of SBI(state bank of India) which were also in circulation.

Indira Gandhi 1 rupee

Another bad, bad fake of Indira Gandhi. Indira Gandhi coin never came out in 1 rupee denomination in the first place. Moreover, on the five rupee the Indira Gandhi image shows the left face but here the right face is being shown. Also, the image looks totally atrocious even at first look.

Indira Gandhi 1 rupee with mala

The Indira Gandhi 1 rupeee is a bad forgery and I believe that even a layman should be able to tell this is a fake. Any Indira Gandhi coin was never minted in the 1 rupee denomination, and also no Indira Gandhi coin showing the front face has been minted. I have no idea how someone got the idea of putting a mala(necklace) in Indira Gandhi's neck.

BR Ambedkar 2 rupee

This BR Ambedkar 2 rupee is perhaps the best fake in republic India that I have come across so far. The Ambedkar 2 rupee was never minted by the government, only the one rupee was. The obverse with the denomination looks perfectly fine, though an experienced numismatist knows that the style of the '2' in the 2 rupee coins has been changing ever since its inception. If you have knowledge you would know that the '2' in the 1990 2 rupee coin differs from the '2' in the 2000 two rupee coin(Ambedkar centenary was in 1990). The '2' design on this coin is the same as the design on the 2 rupee coins of 2000-2004, meaning that this coin was made some 5-6 years back, and not in 1990. Now moving on to the reverse, we see the Ambedkar figure. The coin is shining but the figure is a little worn out. The shine tells that the coin is freshly minted. But this contradicts the story told by the wear and tear, which suggests that the die used for this forgery was made from a worn out coin. The pronounced features are also pointers of a forgery.

USA state quarters - XIV

Tennessee state quarter

The Tennessee quarter celebrates the state's contributions to the US musical heritage. The design incorporates musical instruments and a score with the inscription "Musical Heritage." Three stars represent Tennessee's three regions and the instruments symbolize each region's distinct musical style.

The fiddle represents the Appalachian music of east Tennessee, the trumpet stands for the blues of west Tennessee for which Memphis is famous, and the guitar is for central Tennessee, home to Nashville, the capital of country music.

South Dakota state quarter

The South Dakota quarter features an image of the State bird, a Chinese ring-necked pheasant, in flight above a depiction of the Mount Rushmore National Monument, featuring the faces of four American Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The design is bordered by heads of wheat.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into Mount Rushmore, the 5,725-foot peak rising above Harney National Forest, in 1927. Creation of the "Shrine of Democracy" took 14 years and cost approximately $1 million, though it is now deemed priceless.

USA South Carolina state quarter

The South Carolina quarter shows key state symbols- a Palmetto Tree, the Carolina Wren and the Yellow Jessamine. An outline of South Carolina, the nickname "The Palmetto State" and a star indicating the capital, Columbia, form the quarter's background.

The Carolina Wren, the state bird, and the Yellow Jessamine, the state flower, are native throughout South Carolina; the importance of the Palmetto Tree, the state tree, dates back to the Revolutionary War. In 1776, colonists in a small fort built of Palmetto logs successfully defeated a British fleet trying to capture Charleston Harbor. Since then, South Carolina has been called "The Palmetto State".

New coin booking: Rabindranath Tagore, Rajendra Prasad and Annadurai

Coin cookings for these 3 sets are open from 19 July 2010 to 19 aug 2010. The following is a snapshot of an advertisement that appeared in the Sunday Times of Mumbai. you can do your bookings on the Kolkata mint site: igmint.org

An analysis: the prices of the bookings have shot up and are now really high. If you want to book 1 piece each, it would cost you above 15thousand rupees, and obviously would leave a big gaping hole in your pocket. In such a time, investors are panicking and trying to release their money by selling their extra sets, and as a result the prices of sets which were open for booking in the last 1-2 years have gone down a little. As it is known that coin prices would shoot up once these new sets come into the market, this is definitely the right time to buy old sets. But then again, more than 90% of the collectors or investors are not having the resources to do so at this moment as the booking itself would cost so much. Personally, I have already bought most of the sets that interested me this month only and now only 2-3 sets remain to be bought. That I will do by August mid and then I would never look at old sets again. Then I would move on to other domains.

USA state quarters - XIII

Rhode island state quarter

The Rhode Island quarter honors the "Ocean State". Featuring a vintage sailboat gliding through Rhode Island's famous Narragansett Bay, and an image of the Pell Bridge in the background, with the design showcasing Rhode Island's most popular sport: sailing.

With more than 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island, the smallest state in the Union, has more than 100 fresh water and salt water beaches. Known as the "sailing capital" of the world, Rhode Island was home to the America's Cup for more than 50 years. Narragansett Bay is crucial to the architecture of Rhode Island. An inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, extending into eastern Rhode Island, the Bay receives four major rivers, and has several islands. Rhode island is not actually an island but is called so because water is present everywhere there in the form of fresh water and salt water bodies, and not just the adjoining ocean.

Pennsylvania state quarter

The Pennsylvania quarter depicts the statue "Commonwealth," an outline of the state, the state motto, and a keystone. This design was chosen to further help educate people about the origins of the state, founded on December 12, 1787.

The statue "Commonwealth," designed by New York sculptor Roland Hinton Perry, is a bronze-gilded 14' 6" high female form that has topped Pennsylvania's state capitol dome in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania since May 25, 1905. Her right arm extends in kindness and her left arm grasps a ribbon mace to symbolize justice. The image of the keystone honors the states nickname, "The Keystone State." At a Jefferson Republican victory rally in October 1802, Pennsylvania was toasted as "the keystone in the federal union." The modern persistence of this designation is justified in view of the key position of Pennsylvania in the economic, social, and political development of the United States.

Oregon state quarter

The oregon state quarter coin design features a portion of Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States, viewed from the south-southwest rim. The design incorporates Wizard Island, as well as Watchman and Hillman Peaks on the lake's rim and conifers. The coin bears the inscription "Crater Lake".

Crater Lake is a unique and stunning natural treasure, formed more than 7,700 years ago by the collapse of Mt. Mazama in what is now southern Oregon. At 1,949 feet, it is the deepest lake in the United States and the seventh deepest in the world, and has a record clarity depth of 134 feet. The main cause of Crater Lake's remarkable clarity is its isolation from incoming streams and rivers.

USA state quarters - XII

Oklahoma state quarter

The Oklahoma quarter features an image of the State bird, the Scissortail Flycatcher, in flight with its distinctive tail feathers spread. The bird is soaring over the State wildflower, the Indian Blanket, backed by a field of similar wildflowers. The coin's design also bears the inscriptions "Oklahoma" and "1907."

The depiction of Indian Blanket (or Gaillardia) symbolizes the State's rich Native American heritage and native long grass prairies that are abundant in wildlife. Oklahoma was formed by the combination of the Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory of the Five Civilized Tribes: Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, and Cherokee. The State's name is derived from the Choctaw words "okla" and "homma," meaning "red" and "people."

Ohio state quarter

The Ohio quarter honors the state's contribution to the history of aviation, depicting an early aircraft and an astronaut, superimposed as a group on the outline of the state. The design also includes the inscription "Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers".

The claim to this inscription is well justified, the history making astronauts Neil Armstrong and John Glenn were both born in Ohio, as was Orville Wright, co-inventor of the airplane. Orville and his brother, Wilbur Wright, also built and tested one of their early aircraft, the 1905 Flyer III.

North Dakota state quarter

The North Dakota quarter depicts a pair of grazing American bison in the foreground with a sunset view of the rugged buttes and canyons that help define the State's Badlands region in the background.

President Theodore Roosevelt founded the United States Forest Service and signed the Antiquities Act in 1906, which was designed to preserve and protect unspoiled places such as his beloved North Dakota Badlands, now known as Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Herds of American Bison thundered across the Badlands through the 1860s. The park is now home to more than 400 wild buffalo, an animal once on the brink of extinction.

USA state quarters - XI

North Carolina state quarter

The North Carolina quarter highlights the famous 1903 photograph of the "First Flight".

The North Carolina quarter commemorates the historic feat that took place on December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina with the first successful flight of a heavier-than-air, self-propelled flying machine. The craft, called the Flyer, traveled a distance of approximately 37 meters (120 feet) on its first flight and soared even further as one of the most significant human achievements in history. The flyer is also knwon as Kitty Hawk and was made by the Wright brothers. They flew it four times on December 17, 1903 near the Kill Devil Hills, about four miles south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, U.S.

The U.S. Smithsonian Institution describes the aircraft as "the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard." It paved the way for modern avionics and air travel as it was a significant breakthrough in aviation.

New york state quarter

The New York quarter features the Statue of Liberty superimposed over an outline of the state along with the inscription "Gateway to Freedom." Also incorporated into the state outline is a line tracing the Hudson River and the route of the Erie Canal.

This final New York design celebrates the "Empire State" as a point of entry for millions of immigrants. President Grover Cleveland accepted the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, on behalf of the United States on October 28, 1886. Lady Liberty was designated a National Monument on October 15, 1924 and underwent extensive restoration for her remarkable centennial on July 4, 1986. Governor George E. Pataki asked the United States Mint to add the line tracing the Hudson River and the route of the Erie Canal because of the vital developmental role of the waterways.

New Mexico state quarter

New Mexico, nicknamed the "Land of Enchantment," was admitted into the Union on January 6, 1912. The reverse of New Mexico's quarter features a Zia sun symbol over a topographical outline of the State with the inscription "Land of Enchantment." The coin also bears the inscriptions "New Mexico" and "1912."

The great influence of Native American cultures can be found throughout New Mexico. The Zia Pueblo believe the sun symbol represents the giver of all good, who gave gifts in groups of four. From the circle representing life and love without beginning or end, the four groups of four rays that emanate represent the four directions, the four seasons, the four phases of a day (sunrise, noon, evening, and night), and the four divisions of life (childhood, youth, middle years, and old age).

New coin booking: 60 years of commonwealth

The Mumbai mint has now opened the bookings for the set of 60 years of commonwealth, which includes a 100rupee coin and a 5 rupee coin. The bookings will be open until 31st August, 2010. You can have a look at the proof set shown below:

60 years of commonwealth proof set

The price of the booking is as follows:
UNC set :- 2310 rupees (or 95$ for foreign nationals)

Proof set :- 2740 rupees (or 110$ for foreign nationals)

In case you have not booked a coin set before, you can book it at the Mumbai mint website: http://mumbaimint.in/

An analysis: The cost of these sets has been spiraling upwards very rapidly in recent times. The last booking in Mumbai mint was of Homi Bhabha and that cost a buyer 3400 rupees(1400 for UNC and 2000 for proof set). Now the cost is 2310+2740=5050Rs, or an increase of almost 50%. Since the mint booking price has gone up, so the price of the sets released earlier would also go up accordingly. This does make collecting difficult since everything is becoming so expensive, but at the same time this makes buying coins a good investment as we know that the price of our coins will shoot up in a very short amount of time and it also increases the desirability of coins.

USA state quarters - X

New Jersey state quarter

The New Jersey quarter depicts General George Washington and members of the Colonial Army crossing the Delaware River en route to very important victories during the Revolutionary War. The design is based on the 1851 painting by Emmanuel Leutze, "Washington Crossing the Delaware," which currently hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

It was a cold Christmas night in 1776 and the Delaware River was frozen in many places. General George Washington calculated the enemy would not be expecting an assault in this kind of weather. He and his soldiers courageously crossed the Delaware River into Trenton, NJ. Using surprise as their greatest weapon, Washington's army captured over 900 prisoners and secured the town. Later that night, his army continued towards Princeton, NJ, again taking the enemy by surprise. These two victories proved very important to his army as they gave the soldiers courage, hope, and newfound confidence. The ammunition, food and other supplies confiscated from their captives also helped them survive the brutal winter of 1777.

New Hampshire state quarter

The New Hampshire quarter depicts one of New Hampshire’s greatest natural attractions, "The Old Man of the Mountain," a rock formation found on Mt. Cannon in Franconia Notch.

From the right view, this unique rock formation, comprised of five layers of Conway red granite, depicts the distinct profile of an elderly man gazing eastward. Geographers believe that the layers of granite were positioned by the melting and slipping away action of an ice sheet that covered the Franconia Mountains at the end of the glacial period, some 2,000 to 10,000 years ago.

The new quarter features nine stars, signifying New Hampshire’s status as the ninth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. The state motto, "Live Free or Die," written by New Hampshire Revolutionary War hero, John Stark, also appears on the quarter. The design was based on suggestions given to the New Hampshire Commemorative Quarter Committee, established by New Hampshire Governor Shaheen to moderate a statewide design contest.

"The New Hampshire quarter will give the rest of the nation a sense of New Hampshire’s natural beauty, its rich history and the character of our people," said Governor Shaheen.

NOTE: The Old Man of the Mountain fell from his perch, 1,200 feet above Profile Lake in Franconia Notch, on May 3, 2003.

Nevada state quarter

Nevada's quarter depicts a trio of wild mustangs, the sun rising behind snow-capped mountains, bordered by sagebrush and a banner that reads "The Silver State." The coin also bears the inscriptions "Nevada" and "1864".

Nevada became a territory in 1861, several years after a Mormon Battalion in the Mexican War discovered gold and silver in the area of Virginia City. This discovery would later be referred to as one of the greatest mineral discoveries, famously known as the Comstock Lode.

Nevada is home to more than 50 percent of the Nation's wild horses. The wild horses dominate the Great Basin in the vast deserts and the more than 150 mountain ranges. The first mention of wild horses was discovered in several journals dating to the 1820s.