Rare collection of old coins at Customs museum

by Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana

Samantha Gunasekara examining some of the coins

Director Customs Samantha Gunasekara and Dr. Kavan Rathnatunga categorising the coins Dr. Kavan Rathnatunga examining a rare coin

The Sri Lanka Customs Department is making the final touches to its full-fledged museum to be opened soon at the new Customs Headquarters on Chalmer's Jetty will showcase its long standing history and unlawful items detected throughout history since the era of Parakramabahu the Great. Among a range of precious exhibits displayed here the collection of old coins takes a vital place.

Decimal era coins

Pre colonial era coins

The officials in charge of these exhibits boast of a comprehensive collection of old coins that includes some of the most rare coins to be found in the country which is owned by the Colombo National Museum or certain private collectors who remain discrete.

The museum will however display only Sri Lankan coins although they possess sacks full of foreign coins belonged to various eras that had been received or collected from the foreign traders through out history.

Director of Customs in charge of Bio Diversity and National Heritage Protection Unit, Samantha Gunasekara the brainchild of this museum said a bulk of these coins had been collected from visiting overseas vendors as duty on arrival even in the pre colonial era.

The initial task was to carefully segregate the local and foreign coins which was not an easy job.

Although many coins displayed its denomination and period certain old and rare coins in the form of tiny objects more like pebbles could not be identified by Customs officials.

That is why they decided to summon an expert on the subject to identify and segregate the coins according to its period and denomination. Dr. Kavan Rathnatunga is a numismatics expert and one of the very few collectors who owns a large variety of old Ceylon coins.Categorising the Customs coin collection according to its period and denomination, Dr. Rathnatunga said the coins were mainly divided into four eras as Pre Colonial, Dutch, British and Decimal Era (after 1870). Then they were again categorised according to the sub eras such coins belong to Parakramabahu, Leelawathie, Nissanka Malla and types like 'Standing Man'. Coins belonging to the King Nissanka Malla era are considered to be one of the rarest.

The collection has popular coins like Stuivers (Thuttuwa) of the Dutch period, Duits (Doithuwa), Elephant Dumps of the Modern British period, Half Fathin, Quarter Fathin and Queen Victoria Five Cents.

Other than this the Customs own about 30 kilograms of VOC coins collected during the last two centuries.

Commending the Customs’ attempt to preserve these old coins for the future generation and to set up a unique museum for study purposes for the scholars and academics Dr. Rathnatunga proposed to set up a similar type of museum at the Bandaranaike International Airport to exhibit the true glory of Sri Lanka for the arriving, departing and passengers on transit.