UNC set: 50 years of independence

Dandi March

The Dandi March set of statues in Delhi.

50 years of independence UNC set Cover

Civil disobedience movement

50 years of independence Unc set obverse

50 years of independence 50 rupee obverse

Reverse

50 years of independence 50 paise

Composition

England 20 pence

20 pence, 1982

20 pence, 1990

20 pence, 1999

Weight: 5gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 21.4mm
Reverse: Tudor rose

The tudor rose is the traditional heraldic floral symbol from the Tudor dynasty of England.

When Henry Tudor defeated Richard III and took over the crown of England, he brought to an end the Wars of the Roses between the House of Lancaster (whose badge was a red rose) and the House of York (whose badge was a white rose). His father was Edmund Tudor from the House of Richmond, and his mother was Margaret Beaufort from the House of Lancaster; he married Elizabeth of York to bring all factions together.

Henry adopted the Tudor Rose badge which comprised of the White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster. The Tudor Rose is occasionally seen divided in quarters (heraldically as 'quartered') and vertically (in heraldic terms per pale) red and white.Quite often, the Tudor Rose is depicted as a double rose, white on red and is always described, heraldically, as "proper".

Proof set: 150 years of telecommunication

150 years of telecommunication cover

Obverse

Reverse

150 years of telecommunication 100 rupee obverse

100 rupee reverse

150 years of telecommunication 2 rupee

Composition

Back

Telecomunication in general refers to communication over a distance. Now obviously the communication process has changed significantly over the years since its introduction in India about 150 years ago.

The postal and telecom sectors had a slow and fidgety start in India. In 1850, the first experimental electric telegraph Line was started between Kolkata and Diamond Harbor it was opened for the British East India Company one year later. Post or telepgraph was not given much importance at that stage. Construction of telegraph lines connecting Kolkata (Calcutta) and Peshawar in the north along with Agra, Mumbai (Bombay) through Sindwa Ghats, and Chennai in the south, as well as Ootacamund and Bangalore was started in November 1853. Dr. William O'Shaughnessy worked towards the development of telecom throughout this period. Telegraph facilities were opened to the public in 1854.

In 1881, a licence was granted to the Oriental Telephone Company Limited of England for opening telephone exchanges at Calcutta, Bombay, Madras and Ahmedabad and the first formal telephone service was established in the country.On 28 January 1882, Major E. Baring, Member of the Governor General of India's Council declared open the Telephone Exchanges in Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The exchange in Calcutta named "Central Exchange" was opened at third floor of the building at 7, Council House Street.A telephone exchange was also opened in Bombay in 1882.

Needless to say, the telecommunication system has gone a sea change since its inception way back in 1850. Now in major cities the number of cellular phones outstrips the number of landlines. Kids who have mobile phones may not understand that there was a time not too long back when having a single landline in a household was a rarity.

England 10 pence

10 pence, 1979

Weight: 11.31gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 28.5mm
Obverse: Elizabeth young bust
Reverse: guardant lion passant crowned

10 pence, 1992

Former crest of England: guardant lion passant crowned

"This superb facsimile in fine pewter, is faithfully cast from a 15th century pewter original. As an heraldic beast, it is officially described as a 'lion passant guardant ". It is a powerful emblem that has been used since the 12th century as a symbol of support for the British monarchy . The warrior king, Richard the 1st, also known as Richard Couer de Lion(Richard the Lionheart), emblazoned his battle shield with three such lions, all in the same defiant posture which is on the current shield of England.

The origins of the original badge go back to the time of the Plantagenet Kings of England. Displaying an "open" crown and of particularly fine craftsmanship, it is almost certainly a Royal badge from the reign of Henry the 6th, who was crowned on November 6th 1429. Similar badges, from later Tudor England, display a "closed crown" upon a lion's head, the style which has survived in Royal Heraldry to the present day."

George V fakes

Fake 1911 rupee George V

The 1911 rupee is also scarce and famous and has good value and its fakes are quite common. The shown 1911 rupee is one of the freshly minted 1911 1 rupee coins.

Fake 8 anna, 1919

Even though we keep coming across fake silver rupees at jewellery shops now and then, we know that they have a fair amount of genuine items for each fake. But the 8 anna coin is so highly forged that you would see 10 fakes for 1 real coin, and in fact I got to see my first real 8 anna coin more than 1 year after I saw the fake one, and I was thinking that the first 8 anna shown here is the real 8 anna. I know that very few of you know this, so understand now that the George V 8 anna was minted in nickel and is grey in colour. The implication is that if you come across a yellow 8 anna coin like the one shown above, then you can tell for certain its a modern forgery. I am not saying that if the colour is grey, you can be assured its genuine, but 60% of your task is done. Even in the grey 8 anna, we have many old forgeries. At that time, we usually had silver coinage and when the nickel coinage was introduced for the first time, people tried to forge their own coins and circulated them since the nickel coins were cheap to forge. These old fakes would also be worn out to some extent and will be hard to identify.

In the second coin shown here, if you have a look the lettering on the obverse is too spread out and that indicates that probably the original coin from which the die was made was worn out in those areas and so the fake made from it was not good enough and turned out like this.

The George V portrait is usually the key to knowing if its a fake as there would be some difference in the face of George V in the real and the fake one. This holds for most of the silver rupees also.

Fake 1939 rupee

The 1939 rupee is the most highly valued rupee of British India so it is easy to see why it is one of the most forged. The one shown above is a horrible fake simply because in 1939 the ruler was George VI and not George V. The obverse had a different portrait. The obverse is also worn out although the coin seems to be freshly minted. This one is rather a poor forgery going by the high standards of some fakes I have seen in George VI 1939 one rupee, and even a novice should be able to tell this one is a fake just by having proper knowledge of the date and the ruler.

Note that in each of the shown coins, the face of George V is different. The face of the ruler is a good indication whether it is a genuine or forged coin.

England 5 pence

5 pence, 1970

Note the "new pence" legend on the reverse. The 5 new pence came out in circulation in 1968 when the currency was changed to decimal system from the old system. The "new pence" featured on the coins till 1980 and in 1982 it was replaced by 5 pence.

5 pence, 1988
5 pence, 2001

Weight: 3.25gm
Metal: copper-nickel
Diameter: 18mm
Reverse: crowned thistle

Thistle is a common name given to a group of flowering plants characterized by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins. The thistle is an ancient Celtic symbol of nobility: by character and by birth, and hurting a thistle invokes some punishment. In one story, a barefoot Viking attacker stepped on a thistle and cried out, alerting the defenders. The thistle is the national flower of Scotland for hitherto unknown reasons.

5 pence, 2008

The latest 5 pence coin features a segment of the royal shield, and the new coin set is supposed to remake the shield when placed together.

UNC set: Veer Durgadass

Veer Durgadass UNC set cover

Obverse

Reverse

Durgadass 100 rupee

Durgadass 10 rupee

Durgadass 1 rupee

Composition

Early life

Durgadas was a suryavanshi Rathore Rajput, who belonged to the Karnot branch of the Rathore clan. Askaran Rathore, a Rajput general in the army of Maharaja Jaswant Singh, was his father. As his mother lived away from Jodhpur as she did not get along with her husband and Durgadas grew up in a small village.

A camelherd who was rearing the herds of the Maharaja, ventured into the boy Durgadas's fields. Durgadas asked the camel herd to take his herd away as he was concerned about his fields but the camelherd paid no heed. Durgadas killed him with his sword. Durgadass was summoned by Maharaja Jaswant Singh when when word of this reached him. Durgadas told him that the royal herd of camels was giving Jaswant Singh a bad name by destroying the crops of ordinary people. The Maharaja gave Duragdass an appointment in the army as he was impressed with Durgadas's uprightness.

Saving Ajit Singh

Maharaja Jaswant Singh, ruler of Marwar, died in 1679 without immediate male heirs. However, two of his wives were pregnant at the time of his death. Seeing the opportunity, the mughal emperor Aurangzeb to intervene; he appointed a Muslim to rule over Marwar, which upset the Rathod clan a great deal. One of Jaswant Singh's pregnant widows gave birth, in due course, to a male child, who was named Ajit Singh. After the birth of a heir, prominent people of Marwar, including Durgadas, went to Delhi along with the infant Ajit Singh and asked Aurangzeb that the infant be confirmed in his late father's estates and titles. Aurangzeb did not absolutely refuse, but suggested that Ajit grow up in Delhi in front of him.

The nurturing of the head of the Rathod clan in Aurangzeb's staunchly muslim household was not acceptable to the clan. It is said that crown prince Ajit Singh along with his mother was staying at a place called "Bhuli Bhatiyari" near Jhandewalan of modern Delhi. Durgadas and others of the delegation resolved upon smuggling Ajit Singh out of Delhi. Durgadas and his 300 men, notable among them Thakur Mokam singh Balunda and Mukand Das Khichi made a plan. According to the plan Mokam Singh Balunda's wife Bagheli put her infant girl, in place of Ajit Singh. As they approached the outskirts of the city, the mughal guards fell in hot pursuit and Durgadas and his companions had to make their escape while fighting hand-to-hand battle with the much larger mughal army. Every now and then, some 15-20 Rajputs would fall behind to check the mughal pursuers, thus sacrificing themselves for the bigger cause. In this battle Mokam singh Balunda, his son Hari singh Balunda got injured, but they managed to keep distance between the forward party and the Mughals.Among them Mokam singh Balunda's wife Bagheli Rani. This continued till the evening; and in the end Durgadas managed to escape with the infant Ajit Singh even though he was left with just seven men out of the 300 he started with. Mokam Singh's wife Bagheli ji kept Maharaja Ajit singh at Balunda for almost one year, Later, he was moved to the safety of Aravali hills near Abu Sirohi, a remote town on the southern fringes of Marwar, and grew up in anonymity.

Marwar remained under the direct rule of a Mughal governor for 20 years hence.Durgadas carried out a relentless struggle against the occupying forces. Durgadas took advantage of the disturbances following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 to seize Jodhpur and eventually evict the occupying Mughal force. Ajit Singh was proclaimed Maharaja of Jodhpur. He rebuilt all the temples that had been desecrated by the occupying Muslims.

Character

Aurangzeb's son Sultan Muhammad Akbar rebelled against his father. Durgadas was among those who extended aid to him in the rebellion. But Akbar was exiled, where he died later and the plan failed. He left his children in the custody of Durgadas. Aurangzeb became extremely anxious to get his grandchildren back. He requested Durgadas, who agreed to send them to Aurangzeb. When the children arrived, Aurangzeb asked a Qazi to start teaching them the Quran. On hearing this, his little granddaughter began reciting ayats from the holy book. Aurangzeb was left dumbfounded. On being asked, his granddaughter told him that while she was in Durgadas's custody, a Qazi had been engaged to take care of their religious training.

Such was Durgadas. Till today, people in Rajasthan pray: Mayee ehra poot jan jehara DURGADAS, baandh mundaso rakhiyo bin thambe aakash. (Mother, give birth to a son just like Durgadas,who stopped the flooding dam of Moghuls (the Moghul Army) without any support (i.e. single handedly)).

Last breath

So, having kept his word that he gave to Jaswant Singh, left Jodhpur to live in Sadri, Udaipur, Rampura, Bhanpura for some time and then left to worship Mahakaal at Ujjain. On 22nd November 1718, on the banks of the Sipra at Ujjain, Durgadas passed away at the age of 81 years, his beautiful canopy in red stone is still at the Chakrathirth, Ujjain, which is pilgrimage for all freedom fighters and rajputs. Veer Durgadas thus left behind a sterling example of loyalty, chivalry and courage.

England two pence

2 pence, 1988

Badge of prince of Wales

2 pence, 1999

Metal: copper plated steel

Weight: 7.12gm

Diameter: 25.9mm

The reverse shows the badge of the prince of Wales: Three white ostrich feathers emerging from a golden coronet. The ribbon below the coronet bears the motto: "Ich dien", which is German for "I serve". The batch is used to symbolize Wales, and is also used by the Welsh rugby league. The batch does not have any relation to the native princes of Wales, but is apparently associated with the Black Prince Edward, eldest son of Edward III. It is said that the prince had taken the badge from the blind John I of Bohemia, whom he admired for his bravery. The prince had fought against John I in the battle of Crecy in 1346 and went to his dead body after the battle. He took his helmet lined with ostrich feathers. The helmet along with the motto of "Ich dien" made up the prince's badge and was also used by the subsequent princes of Wales.

The motto of "Ich dien" sounds like "Eich Dyn" ehich means "your man" in Welsh which may have helped to endear the motto, although there are groups among the Welsh who do not particularly like the motto and it is rejected by Welsh nationalists as it is seen as a symbol of the British monarchy rather than Wales.

One Rupee coins - XI

1 rupee, Jawaharlal Nehru centenary(with cap)

This one rupee coin was released on the centenary of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, who was the first prime minster of independent India. A stamp on the same was also released in USSR in the same year.

1 rupee, Jawaharlal Nehru without cap

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of independent India and was born at Allahabad on 14 November 1889. He was the son of Motilal Nehru and Swarup Rani. From the age of 15 to 23 Jawaharlal studied in England at Harrow, Cambridge and the Inner Temple returning to India in 1912.

Jawaharlal Nehru remained the Prime Minister of India for 17 years and can also be called the architect of modern India. He set India on the path of democracy and supported the Parliament, multi-party system, independent judiciary and free press. He also encouraged Panjayati Raj.

He created institutions like Planning Commission, National Science Laboratories and laid the foundation of a vast public sector for developing infrastructure for industrial growth. He advocated the development of both the public and private sector. Nehru gave a clear direction to India’s role on the world scenario with the policy of non alignment and the principle of Panchsheel, the five principles of peaceful coexistence at a time when the rivalries of cold-war were creating a looming danger of the third world war. Education to him was very important for internal freedom and fearlessness. He insisted if the world was to exist at all; it must exist as one. Emotional sensitivity and intellectual passion infused his writings, giving them unusual appeal and topicality even today.He wrote a number of books like ‘The Discovery of India’, ‘Glimpses of World History’.'The Discovery of India' was later turned into a series titled 'Bharat Ek Khoj' and was aired on Doordarshan(national television of India). He was awarded Bharat Ratna in 1955. He never forgot India's great cultural heritage and liked to combine tradition with modernity.

Nehru was a leading figure in India's struggle for independence, and was recognized as a political heir to Mahatma Gandhi. He became the first prime minister of independent India when he took the office on 15th August,1947 and gave a speech titled "tryst with destiny". That period was marked by communal riots as lakhs of refugees migrated after the partition. and Nehru was affected by the omnipresent violence and an atmosphere of apprehension and distrust. He tried to assuage the migrant refugees. But that non-violent attitude of his was also the reason of his two biggest failures: Firstly when Pakistan attacked Kashmir in 1947 and took a significant part of it, and strife and conflicts continue to this day. Secondly, India faced a humiliation at the hands of China in 1962 and took over 20,000 square kms of Indian territory.There are those who believe that the Indian army would have driven the Pakistani army out of Kashmir but Nehru chose not to, so the fight over Kashmir lives on as the valley becomes run over by terrorists. He also started the non aligned movement(NAM) along with Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia,Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt and Sukarno of Indonesia .

Pandit Nehru loved children and they call him affectionately as Chacha Nehru. Hie birthday is observed as Children's Day. He believed that children are the future of the nation. Nehru passed away in 1964, when the above coin was released. The above 1 rupee also happens to be the first commemorative minted in the Republic of India.

1 rupee, 1982

Weight: 8gm
Metal: Nickel
Diameter: 28mm


1 rupee, 1970

Weight: 10gm
Metal: Nickel
Diameter: 28mm

The above 1 rupee coin is the second rarest 1 rupee coin of Republic India to be released for circulation. This particular variant of the rupee was released only in the year 1970, though the same coin type was also released as part of proof sets from 1970-1974.(From 1971-74 the 1 rupee coin was not released for circulation, and was only released as part of some proof sets. The mintage of all these 1 rupee coins is estimated to be at about a few thousand each. The shown coin is different from the large 1 rupee coins released from 1975-1982(like the one shown above this coin as the weight of this one exceeds the weight of those by 2gm, and there is slight variation in the thickness of the '1' and the emblem.

Note: The 1 rupee of 1960 is the rarest 1 rupee of republic India, but it was never released for circulation as it was a rejected pattern coin.