Photograph of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah inaugurating the former State Bank building (now Supreme Court) and other rare photos.— Muhammad Umar
The tour of antiquities begins with the splendid coin collection, which dates back to a time when uneven shapes of silver, weight about the same, were embossed with very simple but symbolic motifs ranging from animals to other elements of nature.
I was told that these were the first form of currency found in the subcontinent, dating back to 5th century BC
Fast forward to 300 BC and Alexander's incursion into the subcontinent, there's a marked difference in the look of the coins. Designs which conveyed stories about Greek gods and their prominence.
The coins depicted figures from Greek mythology, with the head of Herakles, also known as Hercules, on the front and of Zeus, 'the King of Gods', on the back, appearing on the majority of them.
Some historians have argued the image of Herakles was Alexander himself, there is no convincing evidence of this.
Apart from the regular currencies, the rare commemorative coin issued by Alexander after winning the 'Great War in Jhelum' against King Porus, is also secured in the museum as remnants of the King's biggest battle.
“A ruler was only considered powerful after he had issued a coin, it was a manifestation of a king’s prestige,” explained Tanvir Afzal, antiquity registrar at the museum.
The relics of the Greek civilization and the rulers that came in the subcontinent after Alexander, remain preserved in the State Bank museum in the form of coins.
It became apparent that these small pieces of metal not only had monetary value but also transferred the beliefs and cultures of that era. For centuries to come, the coins depicted warriors, kings on horseback, gods and deities.