Classic Gallery of Indian Numismatics - A unique, classic and thematic gallery by Praful Thakkar

India is a country with varied culture and vast heritage. It is a country, which has a glorious history that makes every Indian citizen to be proud of it. India's culture is full of artistic human expressions. It has all the fineness of art, which touches a human heart. Apart from such artistic expressions, India has rich numismatic treasure, too.

With a view to preserve, protect and project Indian Art and Numismatic Treasure in proper perspective, Thakkar Numismatic and Art Foundation has been established by Mr. Praful K. Thakkar. The Foundation has been established with two aims:

to create awareness towards Indian Heritage in all its facets of art. It would support all such activities, which attempts to preserve, promote or propagate the Indian culture and heritage.
to popularize all types of hobbies with special focus on numismatics and items connected with it. It would make all attempts to popularize collection of coins, banknotes, tokens, medals and other collectibles like weights, badges, badge plates, match labels etc. of India.

The Foundation has a goal of gathering, sharing and spreading the knowledge on different numismatic subjects. The motto of the foundation 'Share the Knowledge – Spread the Knowledge' is indicative of the purpose, pursuit and preference of the Foundation. The Foundation aims to create public awareness to preserve these little nuggets of Indian history. The history of India can only be studied and rewritten when these historical tablets have been survived and maintained from the melting pot.

This website is an attempt to achieve the motto - a prime objective of the founder. To enhance the knowledge sharing capabilities, the Foundation has started publishing handy books on various subjects also. As a first step, one book, 'Collector’s Guide to Indian Canteen Tokens', is already published. This Guide covers the subject of Indian Canteen Tokens found in canteens of different organizations. The Foundation has planned to publish a series of Collectors Guides, which helps to achieve its motto and create insight amongst the collectors. Any help and assistance to promote these aims of the Foundation will be heartily welcome and highly appreciated.

The founder, Praful K. Thakkar, an Indian Administrative Service Officer, was with the Government of Gujarat, India for more than thirty years. He has worked in various capacities as Collector, Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Gujarat in various departments. He voluntarily retired in 1995 at the age of 55 years.

He has studied in Tatwagyan Vidyapith, Thana, Maharashtra and has graduated from Poona University with Philosophy as his main subject. He is a lover of Indian art and culture. He has written a few books on subjects of Indian culture viz. Temples, Festivals, Idols of Gods etc. They give rational and cultural meanings of these subjects. However they are written in Gujarati, his mother language.

He got a legacy of art and numismatic understanding and insight from his father. He developed the hobby of collecting Art and Numismatic objects in his own way. He has been an ardent numismatic collector for more than 40 years and has collected Indian coins, medals, tokens and other collectibles like weights and match labels. He has also tried to enhance his ancestral collection of medals of Indian Princely States-British India-Republic India and tokens of Indian banks, treasuries, personalities, religions and advertisements. He has a collection of Passes of Indian Railways, Ports, Princely Palaces and Viceroy Residencies along with badge plates and membership badges.

This numismatic hobby has given him new energy and enthusiasm. For him this hobby is a worship that keeps him pure, fit and healthy. People have hobby for happiness and harvesting profit in future. For him it is for keeping good health too.

As a collector of numismatic details, he has faced many a difficulties in collecting, understanding and arranging the numismatic collection. The same may happen with the new collectors and they may face similar hurdles too. To overcome such situations and to encourage the numismatic hobby and to preserve such a classic collection of Indian heritage, he has made a humble attempt through the website of Thakkar Numismatic and Art Foundation.

To know about how to navigate the site, click here.