Indian numismatics is so vast and expansive that it becomes very confusing for a collector sometimes to start building a collection. It is important to adopt a step-by-step approach while researching and ensure that your basics are rock-solid. The very first step for a young collector or numismatist would be to understand the main categories of Indian coins. Once you know these categories then you can start digging deeper into the subcategories one by one. Coins in India are divided into four main categories based on their time period namely, Ancient, Medieval, Colonial and republic. Ancient coins of India can be further divided into six subcategories which are, coins of Janapadas, the ones issued by ancient empires, kingdoms and dynasties, coins of early medieval kingdoms, ancient coins of south India, coins of ancient invaders and finally coins issued by ancient city states. Coins of Gandhara Janapada are considered to be some of the oldest coins of the world. Apart from that, exquisite coins issued by Gupta emperors like Chandragupta Maurya are also extremely popular in the field of numismatics. Medieval India coins can be split in five categories which are: coins of Sultans, Mughal empire coins, the ones issued by independent kingdoms, coins struck for princely states and finally coins issued by Hindu kingdoms, empires and dynasties within the subcontinent. Each of these empires or dynasties issued different types of coins under different rulers. The most spectacular ones were issued by Mughal rulers like Akbar and Jahangir. Colonial coins of India were issued by various European trading companies after the decline of Mughal Empire. They were struck by Dutch East India Company, Danish East India Company, French East India Company, English East India Company, Portuguese and Ceylon. Initially, the East India Company issued coins for three different presidencies namely, Bombay, Madras and Bengal. After India was officially declared as an English colony, British India coins were struck directly for the Crown. Once you understand all the categories and subcategories you can select a subject depending on your area of interest and start researching. Getting an overall picture of Indian numismatics is essential before you start your journey!
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AuthorPassionate collector of coins, banknotes & stamps who loves researching about ancient, medieval & modern Indian history! Archives
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