Kolkata: As cricket fever catches up in India, fans are making a beeline for special commemorative ICC World Cup coins issued by the Royal Australian Mint and New Zealand Post.
Available in India, the collectors' coin of limited edition looks like a cricket ball from outside while its inward curve gives an artistic representation of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground where the final match would be played on March 29.
"The Royal Australian Mint has teamed with the International Cricket Council (ICC) to bring out this coin. We got 25 pieces of this coin and now only one is left. We are getting orders for more," numismatic dealer Alok Goyal, whose company AG Impex has the license to import and sell such coins told PTI.
With a mintage of 5000, the dome-shaped silver coin is of the face value of 5 dollars and is sold in India for above Rs 13,000.
New Zealand Post has also issued a commemorative silver coin, which features the ICC Cricket World Cup logo in gold plating and incorporates a curved design to replicate a real cricket ball.
With a limited mintage of just 2,015 pieces available worldwide, the coin comes housed in a specially designed case resembling a one-day match cricket ball.
This year the world cup is jointly hosted by New Zealand and Australia. Goyal said he has already sold 42 pieces of that coin.
"I am flooded with orders from different parts of the country. Kolkata has a large cricket fan base and so a lot of my customers are from Kolkata," he said.
For those with a limited budget, Australia has issued a cheaper 20 cents collectible coin made of copper and nickel.
(Photos from Ramint.gov.au)
