Numismatics

The study of coins is called Numismatics, and it is one of the specialist disciplines to discover the past.

Coins are a unique source in the study of the history of the ideology, religion, and political thought of a society.

In the primitive society, this exchange was done through barter – commodity for commodity or commodity for service. However, with the invention of token and Ashrafis, the concept of monetary value came in to use. The coins are the earliest evidence of the economic activity of the human being.

The students of Classes 7 and 8 got an opportunity to study some coins of India and other countries during their Online Social Studies period taken by their teacher and middle school coordinator – Mr. Vijay Paul. They were made to observe the date, the imprint and for some coins the name of the King / Queen ruling during that era. Relevant questions were asked to get the answers out of their observations. They learnt that the legends inscribed on the coins are also varied in nature. The language and script in use in a particular region is depicted on the coins used in that region.

The materials used in making the coins were also discussed. It gave them a lot of understanding that the coins were primarily minted in gold, silver and copper, but sometimes alloys of different metals were also used. The manufacturing techniques also differed from punch marking to casting and die-striking. All these features reflect the advancement in metallurgy during those times.