Numismatic CV of
Dr Kavan Ratnatunga

Dr Kavan Ratnatunga from Sri Lanka, is a qualified astrophysicist, specializing in automated statistical analysis of astronomical data and digital images.
In 1995 he led the discovery of the first Quad Gravitational lens using NASA Hubble Space Telescope.
He retired back to Lanka in 2005. In 2010 at Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology of the University of Sri Lanka, he earned a Diploma in Museology.

He started collecting coins and banknotes over 50 years ago, after he inherited a small collection of Ceylon Coins and Banknotes from his grandfather and father. In 1993 at the Baltimore coin expo, he obtained a few ancient Ceylon coins which restarted his collection. Since 1997, he grew his collection significantly, particularly in the early days of eBay. When there was not much competition to bid on Ceylon coins.

In 1998, he started a personal website coins.lakdiva.org.lk on Ceylon and Sri Lanka coins since 300 BCE, which has now documented over 1400 Lankan coins and other ancient Lanka items with more than 2800 high-resolution images on about 1200 web pages. It is complete for most known Lankan coins and Coffee Tokens, but needs to be expanded to cover more Foreign coins that circulated legally in Lanka.

In 2016 he started website notes.lakdiva.org.lk on Ceylon and Sri Lanka banknotes since 1785, which has now documented over 500 BankNote Types and other Lankan Numismatic Paper items with more than 1500 high-resolution images in about 400 web pages. This website is now complete with all known Ceylon & Sri Lankan banknotes, Private Bank Notes, Replacement Notes, essays, Rubber and Tea Coupons, etc.

His current interest includes increasing the information on Lanka on the Internet via his domain lakdiva.org. Archaeology with a special interest in numismatics and rare books and maps of Ceylon.

He is currently researching the metallurgy of Medieval Gold Coins of Lanka from the 8th to 11th century using X-ray Florescence (XRF) and has been able to identify modern replicas, which unfortunately included the coin he had purchased in 1993 and sold by Spink as a Kahavanu from 11th Century Lanka.

He is the President of Archaeological Society of Sri Lanka. and a former President of the Sri Lanka Numismatic Society, He is a Trustee of National Trust of Sri Lanka. He is a life member of Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka, He is a member of the International Bank Note Society (R-12165).
While living in the USA, he was a member of the American Numismatic Association(ANA), Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists (PAN). Western Pennsylvania Numismatic Society (WPNS), and Pittsburgh Numismatic Society (PNS).

Numismatic Publications

• An inscribed Abhisheka Lakshmi coin from Sri Lanka
  by Osmund Bopearachchi & Kavan Ratnatunga 2004 January ONS Newsletter 178
• Coins and Currency of Lanka
  SLT Rainbow Pages Tourist Directory 2014-15. Pages 54-55
• The Chartered Mercantile Bank of India, London & China - Ceylon Branch 1857-1884
  2021 International Banknote Society Journal Vol 60 No 1 P.40-48

• Catalog of Sri Lanka Banknotes 1785-2018 based on his notes.lakdiva.org.lk website
  was given Honorable mention in IBNS Book of the year Award for 2019

• Exhibited A collection of Sri Lanka - Rare Trials & Patterns
  at the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists, PAN Coin Show
  held from 2002 October 25th to 27th in Greater Pittsburgh, USA.
• Exhibited Treasure of the Great Basses Reef
  at the Pennsylvania Association of Numismatists, PAN Coin Show
  held from 2003 October 25th to 26th in Greater Pittsburgh, USA.
• Exhibited 1942 an extraordinary year in the Numismatic history of Ceylon.
  at the American Numismatic Association 113th Convention
  held from 2004 August 18th to 22nd in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, USA
  Won First Place Class 25 Asian Numismatics William B. Warden Jr. Memorial Exhibit Award
• Exhibited Lankan Coins on Sri Lankan Stamps
  at the Lanka Philex 2011
  held from 2011 October 28th to 30th Postal Headquarters, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Numismatic Contributions

• The Standard Catalog of World Coins and the Standard catalog of World Paper Money published by Krause Publications, USA, listed Contributor on Ceylon and Sri Lanka from 2002 to 2015.
• eBay Voices of the Community member from April 2004 to 2007
• eBay Coin Counterfeits Working-Group (CCW) member from 2004 to 2011
• After the robbery of the Colombo National Museum in 2012 March, he did an investigation of the Coin and Banknote Collection and wrote a Report for the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka.
• Images of coins from the Lakdiva Collection have been used to illustrate the panels of the Coin galleries of the National Museum Colombo, Archaeology Department Museum in Anuradhapura, and the Bank of Ceylon Museum in Colombo.
• Images of coins from the Lakdiva Collection have been used in Calendars on Lankan Coins : CR 2008 - NDB 2011 - LKD 2022
• Since 2017 maintains his Numismatic websites updated with the latest information obtained via regular Right to Information (RTI) requests sent to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
• Listed Contributor to the Banknote Book on Ceylon and Sri Lanka.
• The information in his Numismatic websites are used to update the Ceylon and Sri Lanka Numismatic pages of Colnect.com Ceylon & Sri Lanka Banknotes; Ceylon & Sri Lanka Coins; Banknote.ws notes, numismondo.net notes.

He writes Free Lance for the Sunday Times of Sri Lanka.

He gives Lectures on Numismatics, Astronomy, and the Internet on invitation.

Please follow links above for details, Thanks
E-mail kavanr@gmail.com