From here & there - 'Coining' a hobby

‘Coining’ a hobby

Interested in numismatics? Visit a cool drinks store in the town of Haveri. Tippeshi Pawar, the owner of the shop, intrigues you with his unique collection of currency notes and coins. He might not have crossed high school, but the lack of higher education has not deterred him from gathering information on currencies of different countries.

Hailing from a humble background, he used to assist his father in his business in the town of Harihara, during school days. One day, he accompanied a group of tourists from foreign countries on their visit to Harihara Temple and as a goodwill gesture, they presented him Danish krone, the official currency of Denmark. That was the beginning and now, after three decades, he has about 300 currency notes and coins of over 20 countries.
He has a rare collection of the coinage of India issued by various dynasties. His collection consists of coins that carry images of various rulers of different times like the Shatavahanas, Shivaji, Chola, Tipu Sultan, Kings of Mysore and Queen Chennamma of Kittur, besides martyrs and soldiers.

The collection has a wide range of currencies from the old times to the recent ones. The materials used in different periods of time is different. Currencies in Tippeshi’s display are made of leather and several types of metals like gold, silver, copper and iron.The collection includes currencies of countries like the United States of America, Canada, Russia, Bangladesh, Nepal, Italy, Japan, North Korea, and Bhutan.

Tippeshi Pawar is happy with his hobby and aspires to achieve more. A dedicated amateur coin collector, he discusses interesting aspects of numismatics with his customers even as they sip cool drinks to beat the heat.