1,500 antique coins seized in Amritsar over 3 years: ASI

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 23

About 1,500 antique and rare coins have been seized from Sri Guru Ramdas Jee International Airport, Attari railway station and the Attari-Wagah Joint Check Post here during the past three years. These were found to have belonged to those who ruled Punjab and the adjoining regions from ancient to medieval eras, stated sources in the Archaeology Survey of India (ASI).

A majority of these coins belonged to the Indo-Greek and Kushana period of the ancient era; Sultanate, Slave and Mughal dynasties of the medieval era; besides Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s era.

Customs Commissioner Deepak Gupta said antique coins were confiscated during both import and export adding that the share of the former was more.

On the reason of spurt in the import of heritage coins, sources said the market value was double here than in Pakistan. A gold coin weighing a tola (then it used to be 11 gm) during the Sikh Raj can fetch anything between Rs 3-4 lakh. A copper coin of the Indo-Greek period yields Rs 500-1,000 and a silver coin Rs 5,000-10,000.

Preteek Sehdev, a numismatic, whose services Customs availed in examining the coins, said a majority of these were seized while being illegally imported from Afghanistan. He added there had been a surge in the import of rare coins after 2015. He said coins of the Indo-Greek era were in copper and silver, while those of Kushan period were in gold.

Treasure trove

Most of the coins belong to the Indo-Greek and Kushana period  of the ancient era; sultanate, slave and mughal dynasties of the  medieval era; besides Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s era.