Mumbai: Copper Shivrai coin found inside a well displayed on the 351st coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji | Mumbai News – Times of India
A city based collector of rare coins, stamps and even old bus and tram tickets, Sanjay Joshi (62), on Thursday displayed a copper Shivrai coin which he had luckily discovered inside an ancient temple well. The occasion being the 351st coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj (on June 6, 1674) atop the historic Raigad fort.
Talking to TOI, the retired banker of the Bank of Maharashtra, Joshi, said: “I have a good coin collection of nearly 200 countries.This copper Shivrai coin I had accidentally found while visiting the famous Bhimashankar temple in Junnar, near Pune, in 1987. Just behind the main temple section is the idol of Lord Hanuman, near which an old well exists.”
Joshi further recalled: “Often, there would be water in this temple well; but that day it was completely dried up. I asked a village boy in the temple premises if he or anyone else cleaned up this well. He replied in the affirmative, and further informed that he also found a few old coins while cleaning the well.”
Joshi eagerly asked the boy to show him those old coins, and found many from the British Victorian era, which he was not interested in as he had several of these coins in his home collection. “However, I found two different looking coins — one was of copper metal, while the other was of mixed metals. I was happy to find out that the copper coin was a Shivrai coin that was first minted during the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji, while the other coin was from the Nizam of Hyderabad period. I purchased both these coins, and they have since then remained in my precious personal collection,” said Joshi.
He added that on one side of this copper Shivrai coin is written Raja Shiv, while the reverse side states Chhatrapati in Devnagari script. The Shivrai coins were in circulation for nearly two centuries, since June 1674; and asserted the rule and reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
In his international currency collection, Joshi has one of the smallest notes issued in the world, from Romania in 1917; besides a `talking coin’ of Liberia. He also has polymer (plastic notes) of 70 nations.
Talking to TOI, the retired banker of the Bank of Maharashtra, Joshi, said: “I have a good coin collection of nearly 200 countries.This copper Shivrai coin I had accidentally found while visiting the famous Bhimashankar temple in Junnar, near Pune, in 1987. Just behind the main temple section is the idol of Lord Hanuman, near which an old well exists.”
Joshi further recalled: “Often, there would be water in this temple well; but that day it was completely dried up. I asked a village boy in the temple premises if he or anyone else cleaned up this well. He replied in the affirmative, and further informed that he also found a few old coins while cleaning the well.”
Joshi eagerly asked the boy to show him those old coins, and found many from the British Victorian era, which he was not interested in as he had several of these coins in his home collection. “However, I found two different looking coins — one was of copper metal, while the other was of mixed metals. I was happy to find out that the copper coin was a Shivrai coin that was first minted during the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji, while the other coin was from the Nizam of Hyderabad period. I purchased both these coins, and they have since then remained in my precious personal collection,” said Joshi.
He added that on one side of this copper Shivrai coin is written Raja Shiv, while the reverse side states Chhatrapati in Devnagari script. The Shivrai coins were in circulation for nearly two centuries, since June 1674; and asserted the rule and reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji.
In his international currency collection, Joshi has one of the smallest notes issued in the world, from Romania in 1917; besides a `talking coin’ of Liberia. He also has polymer (plastic notes) of 70 nations.
