Coins , Stamps and Currency Fair-2024.
It was a red flyer which landed on my hands yesterday that prompted me to visit the Coins, Stamps and Currency 2024, presently being held at AKR Mahal in Virugambakkam, Chennai from 02nd August 2024 till 04th August 2024. The entry to the fair is free and you still have a whole day today( Sunday, 4th August 2024) till 7 pm to visit the Fair if you had not done so.
Let me tell you that it will certainly be a visit worth your time even if you are not a seriously pursuing collector of coins, stamps or currencies as a hobby, for apart from these there are stalls which have on display antique and interesting artefacts, which are sure to steal your hearts, and make your purses lighter.
This Fair, is being held under the auspices of the Chennai Coin Club and was organised by Mr. Chennai Manikandan, its President.
In the brief interaction I could have with him amidst his tight schedule, he explained that the purpose behind organising this Fair is to save and preserve our history, heritage, art and cultural exchange. He informed that there are more than 100 stalls and the Fair is usually held for 3 consecutive days. This Fair has been held the past 7 years.
The highlight of the Fair is the visit of coin collectors from countries such as Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Srilanka and Congo to this fair. Further, this year, the Fair features coins from the Sangam Age ( Chera, Chola and Pandiya period). Though temples, architecture of buildings , rock edicts, palm leaves etc, may tell us about the history, coins, despite their small size can throw a lot of fascinating information about a particular period of time in history. He pointed out that, of particular interest will be the coins which bear Tamil letters, Coins issued by the Naicker kings and by the Marathas, not to mention the coins issued by Arcot Nawab and those issued by the Sultans who ruled Madurai for a short period. The fair will also feature silver and brass coins issued by the British and also coins issued by the Dutch, Danish and the French. Before parting I suggested that invitation for the Fair could have been sent to various schools since they can benefit a lot from such interesting fairs and these can be a way to prevent minds from going astray for which he agreed and said that they will send invitations to schools next time.
Apart from coins and currencies, the Fair also had other collections too, like the ones below:
An interesting question arose when I was chatting with one of the stall owners, Mr.Pandian from Trichy. He said that he is basically into coin collection and when I remarked that it is something similar to stamp collection, he patiently explained the difference – Stamps are issued by Government and are easily available for anybody to pursue it as hobby unlike coin collection which is an individual effort. It was then that he asked me that while we could have heard of fake currency notes being printed and circulated, stamps are never faked. When I admitted that I have never heard of such a thing, he revealed the secret – it is the perforations on the sheets of stamps which is impossible to replicate. Interesting, isn’t it?
When I asked him how to differentiate between a fake and a real coin, he summed up in one word – experience. At the same time he admitted that almost every coin collector would have had some bitter experience in the initial days of their pursuit of having purchased a fake one believing it to be a real one , but .......over time, they know.
One of the stalls which drew my attention was the stall put up by Mr.Vikesh, who had come up with a unique concept. If you tell your date of birth, they would come up with a ten rupee note bearing your date of birth for Rs.100/- a piece. It would be a cherishable gift for your loved ones. They had on display rupee notes bearing our Independence Day, Republic Day as also rupee notes bearing dates of birth of famous personalities including actor Rajanikanth, late CM Karunanaidhi and the present CM Stalin .
The Rupee notes would be decorated by mounting them on beautifully colored cards with messages befitting the occasion such as wedding day, birthday etc.
The stall by Syed Meeran had a Danish plate( broken) made of porcelain, and broken pieces from Danish smoking pipes made of animal bones among his collection.
The last person I met at the Fair before winding off was Khader Hussain , a retired school teacher and a member of the Madurai Philatelist and Numismatists Association, who had his family’s personal collection of postal artefacts on display...
A fantastic collection and a great effort.... Here are the interesting ones from the family's collection:
A postcard with no address
a letter written on a school notebook sheet
A postcard with a picture of Lord Rama, Sita, Lakshman and Hanuman
Their stamp collection included a stamp made of leather.
The family’s collection included
currency bearing special or fancy serial numbers( palindromes). Mr. Khader Hussain also informed that many post offices which were there in the past do not exist now. For instance, in Chennai (Madras) he recollects that post offices used to function at Teynampet, Kothwal Chavadi, Wall Tax Road, Cathedral Road, Wimco Nagar, Foreshore Estate, Panagal Park and Spencers but are no more in existence today. Similarly, post offices which used to function at Mangammal Chathiram, Fathima Colony, Ezhukadal and Lakshmipuram do not exist. Thanking him for the nice and informative inputs, I bid farewell.
And here are the antique pieces and artefacts at the Fair that fascinated me:
Before I say goodbye, I have to state that I had only given a glimpse of the contents of the Fair through my blog and the participants there are more than willing to share their knowledge about their trade and their experiences. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit........ it was a visual treat since most of the artefacts were, eye-candy. Let me take the liberty of reminding you that today( Sunday, 4th August 2024) is the last day and as I said earlier, the entry is free......therefore, take your friends, your family and enjoy a delightful weekend...... after visiting the Fair I am sure you would certainly thank me..... silently.
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