At 60, this numismatic enthusiast has140 shows to his credit

Recently, the 140th exhibition of a numismatics enthusiast was held at the SBRR Mahajana First Grade College, featuring numerous rare coins and currency notes.

P K Keshava Murthy, from Hunsur, is a proud man in his 60s, as he is heading towards the 150th exhibition shortly. He said that he started collecting stamps at a young age. "After graduation in the Yuvaraja's College, "I started working in the BSNL office in Madikeri. As all my stamps were spoilt because of the climate conditions there, I changed my hobby to collect coins. In the 1980s, I travelled across Karnataka for this purpose with the assistance of my friends," he said.

He said, "For me, it was only a passion, without any intention. But my friends motivated me to exhibit my collections to the public in Madikeri. From there, started my journey. Over 30 years, I am involved in collecting coins made of lead, copper, silver, and gold. I have been collecting foreign currencies with the help of people around me, who travel abroad."

Even at the age of 64, he is curious and says that he learns a lot from the coins. He is said to be the first Indian, who has exhibited his collections more than 100 times. He has received four national-level awards and has many times won the first prize in state-level competitions. He has been presented the titles like 'Nanya Notugala Dore', 'Nanya Notugala Samrat', 'Kaayaka Siri' and 'Expert Numismatist'.

His collection has coins and currencies from around 240 countries. They include the first minted coins of India, Greek, Romans, Kushanas, Guptas, Shatavahana, Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas, and the exhibition showcased coins of the Mughal dynasty and Vijayanagara empire. Currency notes from the Portuguese era, those from the period of King George V and coins issued during the British rule and till the recently demonetised currencies are in his collection.

He said that he has stopped collecting as it is a challenge to manage the huge number of coins and notes.