Chennai: Son to part with late father's collection of old coins, stamps

Coimbatore: For more than six decades, C. Palanisamy was involved in collecting coins, stamps and articles that were once used in the bygone era which he never wished to part with while he was alive. About six months after his demise, his 42-year old son, Jothi Kumar, a businessman by profession has decided to put up his late father's collection of antiques for sale. 

Speaking to DC, an emotional Jothi Kumar said, "when I have some time to spare, I will take a closer look at my father's collection. I am also on the lookout for someone who will be able to evaluate the collection after which I will sell it to the right person(s) who understand the value of every piece that has made it to my father's collection."

Palanisamy's tryst with collecting coins, stamps among other antiques began when he was just 15-years-old. Buttons made of copper, bronze and silver, that were used in the uniforms of Indian and European soldiers, medals won by the men in uniform, currency and coins of as many as 65 countries that was once in circulation, first-day cover of more than a hundred Indian stamps, miniature books and documents that stand invalid that were used by the kings who ruled the princely states of India are part of the collection.

The former collector did not just stop with collecting and preserving antiques. At educational intuitions, on invitation, Palanisamy would showcase his collection at schools and colleges in and around the city. "In order to encourage students to take up stamp collection as a hobby, my father on several occasions, distributed coins of foreign countries for free to students. I remember lending him a helping hand in packing the coins." said a nostalgic Jothi Kumar. As an appreciation for having conducted over 55 exhibitions in places like Coimbatore, Ooty and Tiruppur, Palanisamy was felicitated by the Karnataka Numismatic Society in 2010.

The first stamp collector of the family of entrepreneurs, Palanisamy travelled extensively to source his rich collection of antiques. He was a regular customer at the Moore Market in Chennai and was a familiar face among scrap dealers. On many occasions, he urged customers not to exchange the valuables for money by educating them of the value they hold. Ironically, his son today is considering the option of parting with his later father's collection for a hopefully huge price.