Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis with Sushil Agrawal at the launch of the website
Back in the days when computer and cable TV hadn’t invaded private spaces, children would have hobbies; one of the most common among all was collecting stamps and coins. Many of us have had that friend who would always boast about his collection, which he had inherited from his grandfather or some distant uncle. To bring back those days into the age of Facebook and Instagram, city-based businessman Sushil Kumar Agrawal, has recently launched Mintage World, a unique online museum dedicated to serious scholars as well as hobbyists.
“I had been a dedicated stamp and coin collector since I was a young boy. Later as I grew up, with several responsibilities, the hobby took a back seat until I thought of taking it up seriously again,” says Sushil.
Mintage World is the first of its kind in the world, which is dedicated wholly to numismatics (coins), notaphily (currency notes) and philately (stamps). According to Sushil, the website is a “collectorspedia”. “We have tried to gather complete information about the stuff that are put up on our website,” he says. With a group of 35 researchers, Sushil started to build the website, but as he was expecting, things didn’t go quite smoothly. “While many people appreciated the idea, they warned me about how difficult the venture could be considering the scale I was trying to achieve. But the biggest problem that we faced was information,” he adds.
Sushil mentions that he has bigger plans with Mintage World. In the next two months, he is planning to initiate seminars and workshops to generate awareness about the significance of currencies and stamps in history. Alongside, the website aims to keep an updated database on upcoming events such as coin fairs or auctions. A dedicated ‘history’ section will talk beyond the common historical points. “There is more to Indian history than the freedom struggle, the Mughals, and the Mauryas. You can read up on the Janapadas, the Malwa Sultans, the Alupas, the Delhi Sultanates, the Western Kshatrapas, and much more.”
Currently, the online museum contains the largest collection on Indian coins, information on all the paper money issued in India right from the 18th century; it also displays all the stamps issued in India, right from the Scinde Dawk. “This project is not for monetary gain. In fact, I hope that through this website I will be able to help people interested and involved in these subjects,” adds Sushil.
For more information visit: www.mintageworld.com
