The South Asian coin collection is one of the best in Europe with approximately 40,000 coins. The strength of the collection lies in holdings of Gandharan coinages, including the Indo-Greeks, the Indo-Scythians and the Indo-Parthians, which constitute the bulk of historical evidence for a period (c. 200 BC – AD 100) for which precious little other evidence is on hand. The collection represents other series of coinages from the Indian subcontinent very well; amongst these are coins of the Western Kshatrapas, the Guptas, the Huns, the Indian Sultanates, the Mughals and the Indian Princely States. Colonial coinages of Western mercantile companies such as the British, French and Dutch East India Companies are also represented well. The collection also has representative examples of related coinages, such as those of Burma, the Malayan peninsula and the East Indies.
