2016-12-15 Thu

William Clarence Rose was appointed as the first chief manager of the Bank of Mysore by Maharaja Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV in 1913. During his term, he collected all British India five, ten, fifty and one hundred banknotes in a series.

His collection was passed on to his daughter Vera Katherine Maud Collins, then to her her grandson Simon Collins. This legacy of vintage coins will be soon housed in a special museum of Indian currency, which is expected to be opened next year in Bengaluru.

Realtor and currency collector Rezwan Razack thought of opening a museum like this. He has been collecting Indian paper money since 1971. The 4,000 square feet museum off Brunton Road, might be inaugurated in the second half of 2017. He would be displaying his entire collection with an intention to make people aware of the history of India through currency.

Razack has 1770 banknotes like uni-face (onesided) notes first launched by the government of India, portrait notes of King George V & VI, cash coupons of princely states, Indian notes issued in Pakistan and Burma, Persian Gulf and Haj Pilgrims notes and all currencies issued by Independent India. Interactive displays, historic facts and trivia, along with Razack’s personal experiences as a collector will also be showcased at the museum.