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Monday, 12th January 2009 (2458 views)

Two rare gold coins were placed on display last week at an exhibition organised by the International Collector's Society of Rare Items (ICSRI) at Pune, in the state of Maharashtra, western India.

Minted to mark the coronation of king Chhatrapati Shivaji in June 1674, just seven of the coins are known to be in existence, with many melted down by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, the Times of India reported.

According to the ICSRI, five of the gold coins are on display in museums in London, New Delhi, Mumbai and the US, while two coins on display in Pune are owned by members of the society.

Bastimal Solanki, ICSRI chairman, stated: "Shivaji Maharaj is known to have minted only one set of gold coins in his time and it is this one."

Known as Shivrai Hon, the coins were on show from just three days as part of an exhibition showcasing rare coins and paper currency.

In other news, India Post has launched a new scheme offering free 0.5g gold coins to customers who purchase the postal services company's new internationally certified coins.

 

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