Khamgaon [Maharashtra, India], October 13: – In a quiet corner of Maharashtra, far from the glass cabinets of big-city museums, a remarkable collection sits inside an ordinary home. It holds coins that were struck during the 6th century B.C., stamps from sixty countries, and photographs of birds that most people only glimpse for a second. Behind all of it is one man: Shri Shekhar Khomne of Khamgaon, a numismatist, philatelist, wildlife photographer, phillumenist, rockhound and bibliophile.
For Shri Khomne, collecting was never about owning things. It was about holding a piece of history in his hand and sharing what it taught him.
Coins That Carry the 20th Century to the 6th Century
At the heart of his collection are about 1,000 Indian and foreign coins. The oldest date back to the 6th century B.C., including rare punch-marked coins, among the earliest money circulated in the subcontinent. Around them, the story of India unfolds piece by piece: coins of the princely states, the British era, the medieval period and modern India.
Commemorative issues stand out for their rarity, among them a 100-rupee silver coin and the uncommon 75-rupee coin. Serious collectors will be drawn to his error coins, including planchet errors and off-center strikes. These are minting mistakes that, ironically, make a coin one of a kind.
Alongside the coins are about 1,000 Indian and foreign banknotes, and currency from 50 countries. Together they show how differently people around the world have chosen to represent value, identity and pride.
Sixty Countries on Paper Squares
As a philatelist, Shri Khomne has gathered postal stamps from 60 countries. Each stamp is a tiny window onto another nation’s landscapes, leaders, wildlife and festivals. For a child in a village who has never travelled beyond the district, a stamp album can be the first passport.
Through the Lens: Forty Birds of Maharashtra
His wildlife photography brings the collector out into the open air. Patient hours in the field have given him vivid, colourful portraits of 40 local bird species of Maharashtra. These are not exotic birds from distant forests but neighbours that share our fields, lakes and trees, and that many of us rarely notice. His images invite people to look up and pay attention to the life around them.
Matchbox Labels and Stones with Stories
As a phillumenist, he treasures nearly 1,000 matchbox labels. The collection includes labels from Tunisia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. These small, colourful pieces of everyday design carry the art, language and culture of the places they come from.
As a rockhound, he has gathered 200 stones and crystals of unusual shapes from six countries. Each was picked for its natural form, shaped by millions of years of earth, water and pressure. For Shri Khomne, they are a reminder that nature is the oldest artist.
The Library That Belongs to the Village
Perhaps the most meaningful part of his life’s work is the personal library at his home. It holds around 1,000 English-language books, including encyclopedias, reference works and 34 dictionaries. It is no private showcase. Students from nearby villages come to read and learn from it, and many of them would otherwise have little access to such resources.
“A collection becomes valuable when it teaches someone something,” is the spirit that guides him. A student turning the pages of an encyclopedia, or looking at a 2,600-year-old coin for the first time, may be taking a first step toward a scholar’s or scientist’s life.
Why This Story Matters
In an age of screens and fast scrolling, Shri Khomne’s work is a reminder of the value of patience, curiosity and sharing. His hobbies, many of which he has pursued for years, have grown into a living museum of history, geography, nature and language, built without grants or institutions, one find at a time.
His home in Khamgaon now shows what one person’s dedication can do for a whole community. It encourages young people to take up a hobby, ask questions and see the world as wider than their own street.
Invitation to Media and Institutions
Schools, colleges, museums, collectors’ societies and media houses are welcome to learn more about the collection, arrange exhibitions or talks, or feature Shri Khomne’s work.
Media Contact:
Shri Shekhar Khomne
English Language Teacher & English Expert
P M Shri Z P High School and Junior College, Pimpalgaon Raja, Khamgaon
Phone: 9764417471 | Email: shekharkhomane@gmail.com
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