Kishore Chandak, who has been into collecting stamps and coins since childhood and been on juries for various numismatic and philatelic exhibitions, said, "Antiques are not generated regularly and hence, their value has always been appreciating. This makes it a good opportunity to invest in antiques." Elaborating, he said that till now, very few youngsters between the age of 15-35 years spent money on rare coins and stamps. However, with the economic slowdown, many youngsters, faced with shaky financial circumstances, are taking to investing in coins and stamps.

While there is no organised market when it comes to trading in rare items, Purushottam Bhargave, a veteran numismatist and philatelist, pointed out that recession has brought down prices of antiques, making it more favourable for investors. "For instance, the price of a brand new bundle of currency notes of Re 1 or Rs 2 was Rs 900 to Rs 1,000 before the slowdown. Today, one can get it for Rs 600," he said. This was one of the reasons why the auction of rare coins and currency notes held on Sunday by Oswal Antiques' Auctions received an overwhelming response, he added.

Nandkumar Kotbagikar, another senior collector of rare coins and currency notes, reiterated the view that this is a good opportunity to invest in coins.