Rajeev Prasad, a numismatic blogger from India

One day as I was searching for something, I came across a blog, Coins and More by Rajeev Prasad. I found what I was looking for, and since there aren’t too many numismatic blogs out there, I was excited to find out more.

This blog is truly a wealth of information. Rajeev is a retired banker and numismatist, living in Pune, India. He writes about coins, paper money, stamps, culture, and some of his own stories. At this time, he has over 1000 posts on the site. I have to admit, I did not have a chance to read through the entire site yet.

Over the last few weeks , we exchanged a few thoughts with Rajeev, he asked me to write a post for his site, and I did ask him if he would be willing to do an interview on my blog, because I certainly would recommend his site to my readers. So, enjoy!

Tom: Rajeev, please tell me a little bit about yourself, what would you like my readers to know about you.

Rajeev: I am an ex-banker from the State Bank of India, who took early retirement from SBI to pursue my hobbies. I developed an interest in some fields like Tarot Cars, Bird watching, Wines research and Numismatics, Banknote collecting and Philately. My Coins blog slowly engaged my full attention and has now been visited by over 200 Countries & Overseas Territories from across the world. Therefore, I am giving this blog more attention, but pursue my other hobbies too once in a while.

During my University days in the 1970s I used to write letters to the Editors of various newspapers, but when I joined SBI, I did not find any time to continue with letter writing to the papers. So I entered SBI’s Essay Competitions and won II place in the Whole Bank level Competitions in 1994. Titled State Bank in the new Banking Era”, we were undergoing reorganisation in the Bank. The three prize winners, including me underwent a series of inter-actions with McKinsey & Co. Which was tasked with the re-organisation. A few of my suggestions were accepted in the reorganisation.

But my mind was set on pursuing my hobbies. So, my wife & I took early retirement from SBI in 2007 and are now pursuing our hobbies.

Tom: You had an unusual way of developing interest in numismatics. Can you tell me about that?

Rajeev: My posts present my coins/currency notes/stamps, in an informative manner, which would be useful to users in knowing about the history of the period when these coins/banknotes/stamps were minted/printed and events/persons they honour/depict, both on Indian and foreign coins/banknotes/stamps. The stress is not on coin valuations. Initially, readers/visitors used to write to me about valuations, till they realised that I think that every coin is an invaluable piece of history and should be treasured for all time and not be treated as an instrument of “monetary value”. The content was more in the nature of a walk down memory lane through my collection/articles.

Now I get a lot of visitors who come to the Blog for the story.

My coin collection started several years ago when I was studying in Lucknow University in 1975. Whenever I found an unusual or commemorative coin, I simply used to “dump” it into a shoe-box without ever trying to find out more about that coin.

Into this shoe box, I also put in a two-rupee “lucky” Banknote given to me by my grandfather in 1970 when I was studying in Class VII in La Martiniere College, Lucknow, which never got spent. (Every time the occasion came to spend this Banknote, I came into money from some source or the other). I have now got this note laminated and have kept it as a special memento and as a bond to my grandfather from so many decades ago).

Even when I was working in the State Bank of India, I was not a serious Coin Collector.

Tom: What motivated you to start your blog.

Rajeev: In 2007, my wife Sumita and I took early retirement from the Bank and seriously started searching for hobbies. My first hobby was Tarot Research and Reading & I came to own fifteen of the world’s best Tarot decks in my Tarot Library. My next hobby was Bird-watching for which we went through a course with field visits etc., the next hobby was Wine Research and identification in which I became quite an expert.

It was only when the Asstt. General Manager of the local branch of the State Bank of India invited me to give suggestions for a Heritage Room that was being set up at the branch in 2010 that I seriously looked at my coin collection for the first time & catalogued some 40 coins dating from 1835 onwards which were exhibited in the Heritage room (For those of the readers who may not be knowing, the heritage of the State Bank of India goes back to over 200 years when the Bank of Bengal was set up in 1806 which later transformed into the British Presidency Banks of Calcutta, Bombay & Madras and later the Imperial Bank of India before evolving into the State Bank of India. The Bank celebrated its bicentenary in 2006).

Fascinated with the popularity of these coins among the viewers, particularly of the British India period & the Presidency Bank emblems displayed on them, I started researching on them and familiarizing myself with the coin histories and later on coin qualities – Proof, Uncirculated and circulating coins etc. Then, in March 2011, I came across a coin album that seemed to contain a silver Mexican peso minted in 1898 which fascinated me to no end.

On 18th April 2011, this blog was started tentatively. By end April 2011, I had received only 72 views mostly from Malaysia and almost gave up writing new posts thinking that the blog was a non-starter. In May 2015, the number of visitors had crossed 500.

After that there was no looking back for me. Today, the blog receives around 3000 to 5000 visits daily and there are over 1000 posts. I have answered over 5000 emails which I have been receiving from visitors to the blog, apart from around 6000 comments which have figured on the blog. I was pleased to note that the blog has answered even unusual queries like “Peace be within this wallet coin”.

Tom: You are one of the most productive numismatic bloggers I have known. Where do you get your inspiration from?

Rajeev: That is very flattering Tom. I just follow my instincts and want to share my research with everyone who is interested in the subject. My posts have been well received by the visitors to the Blog, which encourages me to write more.

I write on several topics not related to numismatics too, under various heads “Did You Know Series”, “Leisure Time”, “The Strange Case” etc.

Tom: Based on the variety of topics you write about, you must have an impressive set of resources.

Rajeev: I do have a substantial library on Tarot Cards, Wines, The Universe, Symbols, Old World Mythology, Ships, Fishes, Flight, Birds, Monasteries. encyclopaedias, Life before man, Dictionaries, Spiritual Books, Books on Coins by eminent Numismatists, Reserve Bank of India issues, Evolution of the State Bank of India, Monasteries, Thesaurus, Horses , Chinese Zodiac, Astrology,Book issues from UNESCO on World Heritage Monuments, Ophthalmology (my father was an eminent Ophthalmologist) etc. I also have a few US Information Service (USIS) booklets sent to my father when he was a senior Professor at the Medical College at Aligarh.. I collect several references from this library. Current information I gather from online posts. There have been instances when I am looking for information on a subject I am writing on, and Google search refers me to an earlier post I have written on the blog, which was quite hilarious.

Tom: Do you write about coins and banknotes you own?

No, I have several friends and enthusiasts, who send me images of Banknotes , coins and stamps in their collection for me to write upon. While my friend Krishna Tonpe has helped me build up my Indian coins collection a few years ago. Jayant Biswas has continuously sent me several images of Banknotes and coins in his collection or purchased coins and banknotes for me which I have also written on. The latest such post is on the Gothard Tunnel in the Swiss Alps Silver 20 Franc Coin from the Swiss Mint.

Tom: When I started my blog, I had no idea how many people I will meet over the year through blogging and interacting with likeminded people. Have you experienced the same? Have you met some interesting people through your blog?

Rajeev: Indeed, I have, Tom. Here are a few interesting incidents:

There was a communication from a great-grandson of General Yuan Shih Kai (also Emperor of China) who is represented on the “Fatman Dollar”, who wrote to me from the USA mentioning that he had found my post the most interesting and comprehensive. He even shared some hitherto little known information about his great grandfather.

There was another communication from a lady in the USA who came across my post on the 1920 “Hundert Mark” Banknote mentioning that her granddaughter like the “artwork” on this Banknote and that she had taken a print of my comprehensive post, and placed it alongside a “Hundert mark” banknote, so that her granddaughter could read my post when she grows up.

The third one was again from the USA. This reader communicated that he was getting thoroughly bored/was miserable with his office work one evening and while browsing through the Internet chanced upon my blog. He found the presentation so interesting that he packed up immediately and went home to read more of my posts after dinner. He wrote to me again the next morning and said that going through my blog stories had really pepped him up & he subscribed to my email newsletters.

I have met a few persons who have contributed guest posts on my blog – the most regular of which is Rahul Kumar, based in Hyderabad and of course I have met you through my blog.

There have been two very important contributors to my Currency & Coins collection – Krishna Tonpe (for my Indian coins & currency collection) and Jayant Biswas (for my Foreign Coins and Currency collection), apart from several other contributions from my friends and relatives, including Hirakda, my sister Raka, Ajit George, Abhishek Pradhan, my sister-in law Paromita, Dennis & Maggie etc. Everyone from the staff of local McDonald’s outlet, to the parking lot attendants, to grocery vendors and provision stores, to Malls has contributed in some way or the other to build up my coin collection, most of whom support my blogging activities.

Tom: What was your proudest moments in connection with your blog?

Rajeev: When the 25 Paise coin was demonetised, I had an opportunity to participate in a Documentary on the life and times of the 25 Paise coin titled “Chal Basi Chavanni” (The “Four Anna/Twenty Five Paise Coin passes away”), aired by STAR NEWS on 29th and 30th June 2011. The programme helped in making many persons hold back onto their “chavannis”, the little round beauties, instead of returning them to Banks

I had just started my blog and was pleasantly surprised to receive an email from the Producer of a TV show. I thought that someone was playing a prank. When I checked up the internet, I found out that he was the most popular Producer of TV shows in India. So, I called him up. He told me that his team had downloaded a lot of material and he was totally perplexed on how to proceed with the programme, till he came across my post which compared the 25 Paise coins being melted down being akin to “puppies being taken to the pound”. He immediately threw all other material away and decided on making the 25 Paise coin being treated like a “human being” who has grown old and passes away. He was so excited with the success of the TV show that he talked to me for over an hour as to how his bosses had complimented him on doing a great documentary which was also nominated for the documentary of the year. He thanked me for providing great insights into the evolution of the 25 Paise coin.

I do not have a copy of the programme, but I still have the questionnaire in my files. He has even become a Twitter friend.

Tom: If you could recommend only one of your posts to my readers, which would be it?

Rajeev: It is rather difficult to pinpoint one post out of over 1000, but I would think that my post on Mahatma Gandhi and the Martyrs of Cellular Jail during the British India Rule, would qualify:

It is my most popular post having gone over 225000 views. It talks about coins, stamps, Banknotes issued over the past few years honouring both Mahatma Gandhi and the martyrs of the Freedom Fight.

Tom: Rajeev, thank you so much for sharing your work with my readers. It is an honor that you took the time to chat with me. All I can say now to my readers is to set a few hours aside, head over to https://exclusivecoins.blogspot.com, and get ready for some prime reading.