Written by Indian coins are becoming popular each day among collectors in India. Some of them are very expensive and range from 30 lakhs to a crores rupees. Here is a list of most expensive coins
Shivaji Coronation Gold Coin ( Rs 30 lakhs)
Shivaji was crowned king of the Marathas in a lavish ceremony at Raigad on 6th June 1674. Pandit Gaga Bhatt officiated, holding a gold vessel filled with the sacred waters of the Indus, Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri over Shivaji’s head and chanted the coronation mantras. After the ablution, Shivaji bowed before his mother, Jijabai and touched her feet. Nearly fifty thousand people gathered at Raigad for the ceremonies. Shivaji was bestowed with the sacred thread, was bathed in an abhisheka and entitled Chhatrapati (‘paramount sovereign’). What Shivaji’s kingdom lacked in size (it made up only about 4% of India), it made up in style and ceremony ! It is said that as part of the coronation rituals, Shivaji was lustrated by his ministers with hundreds of Hons (gold coins) which were poured the over his body as he sat on his throne !
Kanishka Buddha Gold Coin (Rs 45 lakhs)
Kanishka was the greatest and most well-known Kushan king. His realm extended from southern Uzbekistan to Pakistan and much of north India. Kanishka’s fame also stems from his efforts to promote the Buddhist faith. He is known to have convened the fourth Buddhist Council in Kashmir during his reign. The ‘Buddha ‘coins of Kanishka are among the earliest representations of Buddha in a human form and are extremely rare to come by.
Noor Jahan with Jahangir Coin (Rs 70 lakhs)
Nur Jahan became the 20th wife of Jahangir in the year 1615. Jahangir was lackadaisical in matters of governance and was dependent on drink. This gave Nur Jahan considerable license to run the Mughal Empire. She became the most powerful person in the Mughal Empire and even minted coins with her name. The coin legends read as follows :
Obverse: ‘nam e nur jahan badshah begum zar sanah 1034 / 19‘ (‚when the name of Nurjahan, the badshah Begum was inscribed on it….’) Reverse: ‘ze hukm shah jahangir yaft shud zewar zarb surat’ (‘…by the order of Jahangir, then gold attained a hundred beauties’)
Akbar Siya Ram Half rupee coin Silver (Rs 75 lakhs)
This coin type with the ‘Ram-Siya’ legend is the only known type of Akbar to feature human figures. Akbar greatly expanded the Mughal Empire to include Afghanistan, Pakistan, northern India and Bangladesh. More importantly, he followed policies of reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims. When he died at the age of sixty-three, he bequeathed to the future his ideal of a unified country of diverse religions and cultures. It is for this reason that historians regard Akbar as one of the greatest rulers of India. Akbar built the city of Fatehpur Sikri to celebrate the birth of his son, Salim.
Within the city, he built the Ibadat Khana as a religious debating house. He encouraged Hindus, Muslims, Roman Catholics, Zoroastrians, Jains and even atheists to participate. Disillusioned by the constant bickering among religious scholars of different faiths, Akbar even attempted to found his own amalgamated religion called Din-i-ilahi. This religion brought together whatever Akbar found worthwhile in all the major religious faiths. However, he did not compel anyone to adopt this religion. Akbar exemplified India’s great tradition of religious assimilation.
Jahangir Zodiac Gold Mohur ( Rs 1 crore )
Jahangir used to love experimenting with his coins and put a great deal of thought into them. In his memoirs, Jahangir wrote: ‘Previously to this, …on the reverse of the coin the name of the mint and the year of the reign would be stamped….it entered my mind that in place of the month they should substitute the figure of the constellation of that month…’ It must have been quite fashionable during those times to own these coins. The gold zodiac mohurs of Jahangir are extremely rare.
Note : These prices are based on auctions carried around the world and not by privately owned collectors