New Commemorative Issue: 2016: Centenary of Banaras Hindu University

[Bimat]

Centennial celebrations: Govt to release special coins, stamps of BHU

By: Express News Service | Lucknow | Published:September 4, 2015 1:09 am

The Union Finance Ministry has decided to release special coins to commemorate the 100th year of establishment of Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the Finance Ministry for making arrangements in this regard following request of BHU vice-chancellor Professor G C Tripathi, according to a press release by the university.

BHU has stated that coins of Rs 100 will be commemorative while Rs 10 coins will be released in the market.

The ministry officials have contacted the university's Centennial Celebrations Cell seeking details and design ideas of the proposed coins.

The philatelic division of the Postal Department of the Government of India will also issue a special commemorative stamp to mark the occasion.

Tripathi has directed the authorities to host a competition among university students for designs of the coins and stamps.

Both the stamp and coin would be released during the main centenary celebrations function to be held on Basant Panchami next year, the varsity officials said. President Pranab Mukherjee had earlier released a special commemorative coin during the closing function of the 150th birth anniversary of BHU founder Madan Mohan Malaviya.

Source: Indian Express

[dheer]

No worries, this one is for 2016 and by that time I would have declared myself bankrupt 

But I guess its an interesting topic to release a coin. This would also give weightage to releasing the coin for Mysuru University.

[Vivek]

Is any bank offers loan to book coin sets? Already 8 in this year..proof around 3.5k.
If you book proof and UNC ~50K.
I guess mints are playing 20-20 cricket..
Vivek

[Bimat]

I am having similar problem with increasing number of euro coins...A friend of mine recently advised me to sell off one of my kidney to buy new coins.

Aditya

[dheer]

I am having similar problem with increasing number of euro coins...A friend of mine recently advised me to sell off one of my kidney to buy new coins.

Aditya

Well with everyone having the same idea, there is a surplus of kidney in the market and there are no buyers  So few years back it would have fetched you money to buy entire Republic-India, today you will be lucky if you get enough to buy one set 

[Figleaf]

Can't comment in detail on Indian issues, but some examples from Europe may offer perspective.

The first is from Poland. After breaking out of the Soviet empire, Poland steadily increased its "commemorative" issues (many of them commemorating nothing in particular) until in 2008, they issued 15 different 2 zloty* types (more than one every four weeks). They started destroying their own market, as people gave up and started doing something else. The program is now closed, in favour of a new one that is more realistic.

The second is from France, Germany and Austria. After the introduction of the euro, they retained two classes of pseudo coins: obtainable at face value and sold above face. France was quite haphazard on face value coins, issuing first a cheap metal piece that did not sell well, than some precious metal issues with a denomination far above metal content. Germany tried cheaper metals when the price of silver rose, then gave up on face value issues altogether. Austria still seems to believe in its cheap metal issues.

The bottom line is that the new issues scene seems to be splitting in three. The Indian market may not have come to a full crystallisation of these three sub-markets, though.

• Circulating issues at face value. There is limited demand for them and over-isuing can lead to demand cannibalism.
• Above face value issues, not circulating by definition. Demand is from those interested in certain themes (like Bimat, who has a weakness for scientists on coins), from novelty buyers and from retail investors. For the second group, nothing is weird enough. The third group is into packaging, sets, proofs** etc.
• Third are issues at impractical face value that largely fail to (and are not really meant to) circulate. They may or may not be of interest to those who want to collect issues from the first or second group and seem in danger of slow extinction, as they would be among the first people would give up on.

If budget is your problem, the obvious solution is to stop buying above face value issues, except where the design is of special interest to you. That returns the power of the budget to you, from the hands of the coin marketing people (never trust marketing in the first place, let alone with your money). If that's not enough, get only what circulates in practice, preferably from circulation. In the case of India, 8 coins of 5 rupees would amount to a maximum of 40 rupees. In the case of the EU (excluding the four infamous city states), assuming 50 issues of 2 euros it would be 100 euros annually. You'd still have a budget for the occasional mango lassi.

Peter


* These could be had at face value in banks. There were also a plethora of higher denomination pieces sold above face.
** Remember that proofs are the same as circulation strikes. They are just struck differently. Similarly, sets are the same as circulating coins. They are just produced and packaged differently.

[Bimat]

BHU hold competition to design commemorative coins and stamps

Binay Singh,TNN | Nov 21, 2015, 06.12 PM IST

VARANASI: Banaras Hindu University recently held a competition to design commemorative coins and stamps to be released by the Union government.

According to the OSD of the Centennial Celebrations Cell of BHU, Dr. Vishwanath Pandey, Ashish Kumar Gupta and Subhashita of the department of Applied Arts have been adjudged first and second winner respectively in the competition to design commemorative coins and stamps, while Arnab Biswas of the department of Chemistry has been selected for third place. They will receive cash prize of Rs. 10000, Rs. 7000 and Rs. 5000 respectively.

According to Pandey, on the occasion of the centennial celebrations of BHU the Finance and Telecommunications ministries of the Government of India have decided to release commemorative stamp and coin of Rs. 100 as also coin of Rs. 10 for commercial transactions. The BHU vice-Chancellor Prof. Girish Chandra Tripathi had directed to host a competition for the design of the coins/stamp amongst the students.

Source: Times of India

[Bimat]

Prem Pues Kumar posted this (winning?) design on Facebook.

Aditya

[Figleaf]

Very positive. Here's a guy who can't draw very well but is handy with a computer and graphics software - though not handy enough to align the legend correctly - doing something he otherwise couldn't have done: design a coin. The machine has enabled thought, in spite of unwilling muscles. Great!

That said, I think the design is too detailed for a small coin and needs abstraction.

Peter

[dheer]

Agreed the design is too detailed and mint's would have tough time to get a design that can be struck.

[Bimat]

That said, I think the design is too detailed for a small coin and needs abstraction.

Agree...Rs 5 coin is too small to accommodate all the details...They will either end up in screwing up the design or rejecting it!

Aditya

[Pabitra]

Still cleaner than the India Africa summit coin of 10 Rupees where you can not make out anything except map outlines.

[Bimat]

Still cleaner than the India Africa summit coin of 10 Rupees where you can not make out anything except map outlines.

Hehe, I'm yet to see them but looking at its design, it's quite possible.

Aditya

[betterphilately.com]

These coins are finally notified as well. It will be a set of 2 coins with Rs 100 and Rs 10 denominations. The coins will show the logo of Banaras Hindu University along with the main entrance of the school. The words Banaras Hindu University will be inscribed in Devanagiri and English on the periphery along with the years 1916 and 2016. Centenary Year will also be written above the university logo. There is also a mention of a skirting design on the periphery of the coin. Looking forward to the coin release, hoping it will be done by the Prime Minister of India sometime this year.

[kansal888]

This may be the design. Floating since many months