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 Replies: 11 / Views: 5,337 |
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Valued Member
United States
451 Posts |
I will be in India for a 2 month vacation and am looking to buy coins!  Though I am familiar with the place, I have no idea where I could buy coins. I will be in the south of India during my stay there but if there is a store or a person in any other place, I would definitely try to travel. Suggestions? |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
brokencompass:
I travelled extensively in India many years ago, you may refer to my user profile, or the 'The Bus Driver' thread. Type 'bus' into the search option, and the post of 07/12/2010 should give you a clue.
A note of warning: There a lot of very officious people in India, sometimes aggressively so, employed by the "Go'ment".
I was reading in an Australian coin magazine a couple of years ago about an Australian tourist who was jailed for six months because he was discovered leaving the country with about 20 or so silver rupees from the Mughal period. The basis of the charge was that he was illegally taking Indian national heritage artifacts from the country without a licence.
It is all so very stupid. As we all know, such coins are relatively common amongst collectors outside India; I have a few myself. When I was travelling India, I knew of no such required documentation, and I left the country with a few ancient Indian coins myself, completely oblivious to any legal danger.
I suggest that an inquiry to the Indian Embassy in the United states, or an Indian High Commission Office in one of the major American cities may be able to enlighten you on their regulations.
The Greek and Italian Governments, and even the United States, have laws which can be irritating to the coin collector.
Edited by sel_69l
12/02/2010 02:05 am
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Valued Member
 United States
451 Posts |
The bus trip sounds fantastic! I can't even imagine being able to handle the logistics of it!
Thanks for warning me about the possibility of being arrested, I will definitely check to see what paper work might be required.
I might be missing something but I was unable to find any information about places in India where I could buy coins from in the thread?
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
Brokencompass: I've had a bit of a look around for coin dealers in India. I know that there should be many, but from my scratching around the Internet, I have not been very successful. That HAS to be wrong, because India has a reasonably sized coin collecting community. The Indian Numismatic Society has been around for decades, and so has the South Indian Numismatic Society.
I tried Google for 'coin dealers India', 'coin dealers Mumbai', and 'coin dealers New Delhi', with indefinite results. I also tried the 'vcoins' website. Didn't find an Indian based dealer.
The next (more desperate) step is to contact the Indian Embassy in Washington, or their delegation in New York. My strategy for this is that hopefully, they will give you information out of their telephone books regards contacts for coin dealers.
Perhaps someone else on the CCF can advise you on where dealers are with more success then me.
India has a rich history in coinage over more than two millennia, and for this reason a decent effort into location of coin dealers for your time of stay in India is worth it.
Health wise:- Since we were travelling rough, my doctor injected be with 20cc of gamma globulin (a blood extract) to increase my immunity. I only drank boiled water, and did not eat fresh salads, because the water in which they may have been washed, could have been dodgy. I never suffered from 'Bombay belly', or 'Delhi belly'! Dad advised me 'don't drink their water, drink their beer!
India is a fascinating place. Enjoy yourself!
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Pillar of the Community
Thailand
1509 Posts |
I too have spent some time in Southern India and couldn't find any info on coin shops/dealers prior to my going. Depending on the size of the towns/cities you'll be staying in you could always make local enquiries with hotel reception staff or in Tourist Info offices. I was always coming across market stalls or even people on the sidewalk with a blanket and a load of old Indian coins for sale. It's OK for low end stuff (I picked up dozens and dozens of British Anna coinage) and always haggle. The more you buy the better the deal you should get. If you take the time to talk with them and have a permanent smile on your face you'll find Indians the most friendly people.
One place I found extremely fascinating (historically speaking) was Vijayanagara in northern Karnataka. The nearest town for accomodation is Hampi (about 30 minutes drive away by tuk-tuk). Apart from the vast site of ruins of the ancient city there's also a huge Hindu temple there that is open to foreigners (as long as you respectfully observe the customs). But there are a couple of curio stalls/shops next to the temple entrance. Just be prepared to spend a long time going through their stock of coins (no organisation whatsoever). It's some of my happiest memories of one of the most wonderful/fascinating and sometimes frustrating countries in the world.
Safe journey to you and keep us posted of your progress/successes.
Vic
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Pillar of the Community
Netherlands
626 Posts |
In my experience I went to small "antique" shops, and other shops were I just asked reguraly if they had old coins...
Most of the time they send me to the next shop in town where I guy pulled out a few buckets of coins. I could just go through them and pick some nice ones out of it. Other times in Old Delhi for example there are guys sitting on the street with a big box of coins (Beware they also sell ofcourse fake coins, I noticed that with first hand experience)
But all in all, you should just ask local people... one time after asking where I could buy some coins, a man called me inside his home for some Chai, Chielm, Chappati and a chat... After a while he grabbed a big stash of coins from the '50 / '70... her handed me over some coins, and I gave him like 100 Rupees ($1,5) He was happy and I was happy, that's India.
Just ask around, and mingle with local people... it will repay you in many ways! That's my tip :)
And enjoy... I would like to trade with you in a heartbeat, then you can come to Holland.... ;)
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21786 Posts |
In actually being there, my experience is exactly the same as Vic's and Kingz's.
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Pillar of the Community
United Kingdom
2490 Posts |
brokencompass, email me. I may be able to put you in touch wuith some Indian collectors.
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Valued Member
United States
451 Posts |
Thanks sel_69l, Thai-Vic, Kingz. Hampi added to my list :) Will post about my finds for sure. Keep the suggestions coming :)
alganbagerap : Sent you a PM
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Pillar of the Community
India
1995 Posts |
Hello broken compass, if you are still in India, you can try Pune, Mumbai,Delhi,Bangaluru,Chennai or Hyderabad for this type of coins.
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New Member
Canada
3 Posts |
From my many trips to India...I have noticed that it's relatively easy to find well-stocked coin shops that sell at catalogue prices. (ex: Coin shop across from bus station in Bangalore...or a very famous dealer off Canaught Sq. in Delhi...don't remember names but know how to get to them once there. :-) ) No deals to be had in these, however they might be more reliable in terms of authenticity.
My favourite discoveries have always been in random jewellery stalls/shops that are just about everywhere in villages and towns. Since I collect silver rupees from Mughal-princely states, I sometimes find them in such shops that have a handful of these coins stashed under the counter. How come? Well people who own a few (and want quick cash) will unload them for metal value. Then the jeweller will keep them either to send them up higher on the coin-collecting pyramid or keep them as such. I realize that at this level one can be taken for a ride...but if you are the slightest bit knowledgeable... deals can be had. To cut my losses in case I'm offered a doubtful one...I will never pay more than about twice the silver value. This stimulates the seller with a quick profit and my losses are minimized should the coin be fake...at least it's worth the silver. All this becomes an excuse to wander around meeting people and generally have a great time exploring the town. Since I don't speak Hindi carrying a sample coin to show them what I'm looking for might make things easier....and if they don't have any they direct me to someone that might have some.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
Quote:
My favourite discoveries have always been in random jewellery stalls/shops that are just about everywhere in villages and towns. Since I collect silver rupees from Mughal-princely states, I sometimes find them in such shops that have a handful of these coins stashed under the counter. How come? Well people who own a few (and want quick cash) will unload them for metal value. It is worth reiterating that India has very strict laws regarding "antiquities", which includes coins more than 100 years old. The reason such coins are held "under the counter" is that licensing and record-keeping for "above the counter" dealers is burdensome. Under Indian law, the collecting of antique coins (more than 100 years old) is mostly legal within India but such coins may only be exported with the permission of the Director General, Archaeological Survey of India. Thus, a foreign national may legally acquire antique coins while in India but attempting to remove them from the country without appropriate paperwork is a crime. Caveat emptor. http://www.rajgors.com/Statutory.aspxhttps://blog.forumias.com/antiquiti...an-analysis/Edited by Kushanshah
11/09/2018 4:21 pm
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Replies: 11 / Views: 5,337 |
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Posted 12/04/2010 01:12 am
