New Delhi, Nov. 14 -- The humble rupee has a lot to complain about these days-it is a denomination often taken for granted, an exchange rarely accounted for and loose change that is never returned. But a walk through Mumbai-based Sarmaya Arts Foundation's latest exhibition, Odyssey of the Rupee: From India to the World, relives the heyday of the rupee, a time when its aura and strength made it a universal symbol of power across centuries.

Most coins on display come from the private collection of Sarmaya's founder, Paul Abraham, 65. It all started for him when as a young boy, his father handed him a bottle of coins from the kingdom of Travancore. Growing up in Delhi, Abraham spent his early days hanging out at coin fairs and exhibitions, ...