Rare coins of Bengal to be exhibited

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Kolkata: Rare coins from West Bengal, including some which are over 1,500 years old, will be displayed at an exhibition here beginning Friday.

The three-day "Mudra Utsav" organised by the Numismatic Society of Calcutta (NSC) will showcase a treasure-trove of coins spanning the era from third century B.C. to modern Bengal.

This includes coins from the period of "Banga Janapada" (the seafaring kingdom that came up in 550 B.C. in what is now eastern India and Bangladesh), of the sultans of Bengal, Mughal era, British rule and independent India.

"The highlights are the gold coins from Gupta period. These coins are usually not displayed by museums but we are exhibiting them so the public can glimpse these rare coins," NSC president Anup Mitra, president said.

There will be around 12 coin cabinets, said Mitra. The exhibition will run at the Haldiram banquets till Dec 28.