In Coins , Parmeshwari Gupta describes the history of India through coins. When Jan Lingen reads this, his interest in numismatics is triggered. This takes place in New Delhi, where the civil engineering graduate supervises the construction of the Dutch embassy between 1968 and 1972.
During his stay in India he collects coins. And by doing so, he immerses himself in the rich history of the country. When Jan returns from India, numismatics, and in particular Asian numismatics, never failed to interest him. He remains associated with the Oriental Numismatic Society, of which he has been Regional Secretary of Europe for many years. Jan also wrote the books Coins of the Sindhias (1978, together with Ken Wiggins) and Marwar, Jodhpur State: History and Coinage (2012).
From 1988 to 1994, Jan is chairman of The Royal Dutch Numismatic Society (now an honorary member). In 2002 he receives an Order of Orange Nassau, in recognition of his achievements in numismatics.
He became acquainted with Heritage Auctions Europe in 2014 when he had an extensive collection of Asian coins of an acquaintance housed there. Since then, he has worked at the auction house one day per week as a specialist in Asian collections.
50 years
Asia, VOC, Islam. Specifically: India.
Dutch, English, Arabic-Persian.
“Searching for the origin of previously unknown coins gives me a thrill. One example is a lead coin from Malacca that I discovered had been put into circulation in 1744 in Batavia. Eureka!”
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