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There can be no valuation or appraisal for the little shining pieces of metal and the little bits of paper that he displays with much pride and only upon genuine request. True, the rich collection in his possession is just priceless. But though he declines to part with his own treasure, this noted philatelist and numismatist of Goa “ V R Navelkar “ willingly offers his services to those who wish to appraise the value of their own collections. Photo Caption: V R Navelkar with his prized collection of commemorative coins at his residence in Khandola, Marcel
A philatelist and numismatist, V R Navelkar, calls himself a low profile retired librarian who spent 38 years of his life in the company of books. Now living a quiet, retired life in his modest home at Khandola in Marcel for the past 15 years after finally walking out of the University library in 1999-2000, Navelkar has been devoting all his time to his long time hobby, that of collecting stamps and coins.
With every single, uncirculated coin minted in India since 1964 (not a single denomination missing) in his possession, Navelkar has won countless awards for his prized collections. “Any collection is not valuable if it is not complete,” he stresses, adding, “India has a history of 2500 years of minting coins and it is just impossible for any single person to possess the coins of various kings, dynasties and princely provinces. That’s why I decided to collect special coins minted by the government of India during occasions and in small numbers. Believe me, there is a big rush to book them whenever their sale is announced and most of my earnings have gone into my collection.”
Though his hobby dates back to his student days at Progress High School, Panaji, he seriously delved into it in 1968. “After my SSC I went to Mumbai and began working at Asiatic Society of Bombay. It was here that I got involved with coins. The library, the government mint and Prince of Wales Museum were nearby “ all of which fuelled my hobbies,” recalls Navelkar.
Having had some minor exhibitions in Mumbai and major ones in Goa, at Chowgule College and Goa University, Navelkar’s story is full of thrill. One must have the willingness to invest money, an investment which does not pay. With years the collection grows in size and price, finally becoming a collector’s item which is priceless. As such, who would want to sell it?
The last coin that Navelkar got was from a taxi driver’s tool kit. “My regular taxi driver gifted this copper coin to me, saying it was lying in his metal tool box for years. I have yet to study it before arriving at its value. I don’t take free coins or stamps, I either buy or barter. So once I appraise its value, I shall pay the taxi driver either in cash or kind,” states Navelkar sharing his philosophy that coins are not meant for competition. In some of his personal exhibitions of stamps, he used to have a table for displaying his coin collection, which got tremendous response from the viewers. Over the years his collections grew in size and value, making him a senior numismatist. Having won at all levels, from district, state, national, Navelkar’s collection is above competition. He participates as an invitee and only exhibits his treasures. In December 2014 Navelkar received a lifetime achievement award for his numismatic contribution from Rajgor’s, a leading numismatic group in India,.
And not only has Navelkar saved hundreds of coins from melting down thereby preserving the cultural heritage of India, he has also encouraged a number of new and young collectors to collect and preserve coins.
India got its freedom in 1947 but there was no minting of coins till it became a Republic in 1950. The first set of coins minted in India was on the third anniversary of independence, on 15 August 1950, when the designs were drastically changed to do away with foreign denominations. The British monarch was replaced by lion and the capital of Ashoka’s pillar at Sarnath, as a symbol of non-violence as its insignia, Indian Republic. The government of India took the place of the name of the king.“I avoided collecting them. I mean, I realised that I shall not be able to complete the collection in real sense so I decided to collect only commemorative coins, which were issued for the first time in 1964 in memory of the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru on his birthday, 14 November. At the time, one rupee coin and two types of 50 paisa coins (one in Devnagari and the other in Roman) were issued. The second series of coins that were issued after Nehru’s were that of Mahatma Gandhi in 1969,” he informs.
“The commemorative coins are issued in various denominations even to the tune of 1000 rupees, and I am proud to possess all these coins,” boasts Navelkar who was deputed by British High Commissioner to visit England to observe the workings of libraries and they saw to it that he will be in a position to observe at least one exhibition during his stay. “I was given a guide who accompanied me to all the libraries in London,” recalls Navelkar who has served as secretary of Goa Philatelic & Numismatic Society for 40 years.
“Age is catching up, so I have recently handed over my responsibility officially in January 2016. All these years the society operated from my home at Marcel as I was its founder.” There was a time when the society had as many as 100 members. However, of late, most of the members have dropped out. The activities, however continue and the enthusiasm has not ebbed. It’s a hobby that keeps the mind occupied and heart, young, Navelkar concludes.
Photo Credit: Bharati Pawaskar
