bengaluru gandabherunda coins dating back 2600 years pagoda gold coins minted under tipu sultans rule a handwritten letter from then mysuru maharaja the entire collection of coins minted in madras presidency and a 2rupee note autographed by mahatma gandhi these are among the rare collectibles on display at this years edition of the national numismatic exhibition which kicked off on fridayhundreds of numismatics enthusiasts and researchers gathered at the venue of the threeday exhibitioncum auction where over 100 dealers are displaying and selling their collectibles dealers from countries like the us france the uk bangladesh and switzerland have also set up information stalls the collectibles can be bought for anything between rs 100 and rs 20 lakhthis year for the first time we are conducting special lectures and demonstrations for those interested in numismatics research therell be a live demonstration of minting technology used for early indian coins and a lecture on how to identify manmade errors and fancy numbers in paper money said archie maru director marudhar arts which is in charge of organizing the exhibition every yeara few enthusiasts meanwhile pointed out how the number of collectibles on display has dipped this year with most of the stalls being occupied by dealers auctioning itemsonly one long table is dedicated to exhibits while all the other stalls are auctioning items said subramanya a numismatist from hassan district who has been collecting bank notes according to their prefixes for the past 20 years subramanya is also selling one of his collections at a starting bid price of rs 20 lakhmurali thantry former vicepresident of the karnataka numismatics society echoed the view in previous editions of the exhibition there were just about 10 to 12 stalls for auctioning while a majority of the stalls would be occupied by exhibitors over the years the influx of dealers has increased in this years edition a majority of the participants are dealers numismatics has now become a very lucrative hobby its the only hobby where money buys money said thantry