Conch Coin

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by JBGood, Nov 6, 2016.

  1. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

    Myanmar, Pegu.jpg
    I know this coin isn't exactly ancient but I'm frequently attracted to other genres and 5th century AD is still pretty old, no? So post some coins that are not Greek nor Roman but have caught your eye and are 5th century AD or earlier.



    Myanmar (Burma), Pegu, Mons. Anonymous. ca. 5th century A.D. AR full unit (25.1 mm, 9.66 g, 7 h). Sankh (conch shell) within circle of pellets / Yupa within Srivatsa temple; two pellets below. Wicks Class A; Mitchiner, South 518.

    The coin was originally attributed to the Kingdom of Hamsvati, 5th century A.D. and I can find virtually no information on this culture and have not come across the name before. According to Robert S. Wicks (1992) The "Conch" coins originate in high art and high purity silver coins with a tight minting weight of 9.4-10.1 grams with the majority (29) of the cataloged coins (36) from a hoard in Pegu. (Bago, Myanmar). All coins appeared slightly scyphate. Metallurgical analysis of the hoard yield near pure silver, 99.7% with only 0.27% copper. The coin's obverse has an excellent representation of the conch, or Shankha the shell of a gastropod native to the Indian ocean and best described as a large predatory sea snail. The shell has been an important part of Buddhist and Hindu culture for as long as they have existed. It is often used as trumpet in both in ritual and in war. The trumpet is often played at festivals dedicated to Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. The conch's sound was thought to ward off evil spirits and blowing it daily was considered healthy for the respiratory system. In Hinduism the Conch is a symbol of Vishnu and of wealth, success and good fortune. The distribution of the these early coins types is quite extensive and found along the coastlines of Bengal, Lower Burma, Thailand and a single specimen was reported found in a precious metal hoard in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) The majority of examples have been recovered in small hoards in Pegu, and are almost never found inland. The "Conch" coin became the prototype model for all coinage of the region in the first millennium AD. All of this suggests the Mon where an advanced seafaring trade culture existing south of the Pyu realm in Burma and later expanding and founding city states throughout southeast Asia. It is recorded that when the Pyu were overrun by the Burmese and the Kingdom of Pagan (who didn't use coins) employed Pyu and Mon craftsman on civil service projects and architectural feats. The Mon endure to this day. (Cited with permission from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/mon-large-predatory-bottom-feeder-ar-full-unit.264744/#post-2169693) (Acsearch info from @Ancientnoob)
     
    TuckHard, stevex6, Mikey Zee and 19 others like this.
  2. Avatar

    Guest User Guest



    to hide this ad.
  3. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

    This is one of my favorite non-classical non-ancients shown by @Ancientnoob :). The simple design is very attractive. Maybe I need one too :D
     
  4. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    I bid on this same coin on Agora Auctions, but after it went above estimate and kept going, I moved on to less competitive pickings and got me a RR denarii instead.

    Nice coin.
     
  5. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

    So I can say I have an actual "from the collection of Ancientnoob"? Same coin?
     
  6. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

    I never let an estimate get in the way of reality as I know it.

    It's big and chunky!
     
    red_spork likes this.
  7. TIF

    TIF Always learning.

  8. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    @Ancientnoob coins? Who cares, he is just a BOTTOM FEEDER! :D :D :D

    LOL, BIG KIDDING. :D I have several from his collection and love everyone of my little Noobsters!!! He has also been great in pointing towards some cool versions that I captured into my collection.
     
    JBGood likes this.
  9. Cucumbor

    Cucumbor Well-Known Member

    Cool coin !
    I think I'm going to visit Burma in a short future : maybe luck will help me finding some

    Q
     
    JBGood and Alegandron like this.
  10. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

  11. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Yeah, but when you are a generalist like me, there's always plenty of fish to go after, and I have the luxury of not overpaying if I don't want to and getting something else instead. I know this is a relatively rare coin, but chances are I'll have another crack at one sooner or later in a CNG or Agora auction. And if not, it's far from the only chunky rare Asian coin out there.
     
  12. ancientcoinguru

    ancientcoinguru Well-Known Member

    Nice coin @JBGood! I'd like one of those for my collection:)
     
    JBGood likes this.
  13. Ancientnoob

    Ancientnoob Money Changer

    @JBGood - Awesome coin! They are certainly among my favorites, its actually quite a rare coin! I actually like your coin, I would love to see some in hand photos. I bet it looks way better! If you decide you don't like I know how to dispose of it. I would also like to mention most Conch art in that part of the world is displayed with the spirals pointed down. Notice the orientation of my coin. In all refernces I have come across the coin is pictured as you have it. Although some quick google searches will confirm this. I would bet this is how it was intended to be seen.

    Also I thought the 5th century AD was ancient? This would be considered the Ancient period in Burma.

    @TIF Glad you like it!

    @Alegandron - Ha.

    HamsvatiA.jpg

    Here is my collection of the region.

    SouthEastAsia Scale TXT.jpg
     
    stevex6, Mikey Zee, Pishpash and 8 others like this.
  14. medoraman

    medoraman Supporter! Supporter

    You need a dvaravati and Lanna specimen too Anoob. :)

    Nice collection. Mine is similar.
     
    Alegandron likes this.
  15. chrsmat71

    chrsmat71 I LIKE TURTLES!

    oh cool JBG... my first thought was, "oh yeah, and ancientnoob coin!" LOL!

    so what is a "yupa" exactly? some google searching yielding some carved stones?
     
  16. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

    081.

    Myanmar (Burma), Pegu, Mons. Anonymous. ca. 5th century A.D. AR full unit. Rare.
    Estimate: $ 150.00
    Current Bid: $ 115.00
    Bidding closed Tuesday, September 27, 2016, 12:40:00

    I paid $115 for this coin
    Myanmar (Burma), Pegu, Mons. Anonymous. ca. 5th century A.D. AR full unit (25.1 mm, 9.66 g, 7 h). Sankh (conch shell) within circle of pellets / Yupa within Srivatsa temple; two pellets below. Wicks Class A; Mitchiner, South 518. gVF, bold strike. Rare. The coin was originally attributed to the Kingdom of Hamsvati, 5th century A.D. and I can fi ...
    Date: 27. Sept. 2016
    Hammer: 115 USD
     
    Mikey Zee, Alegandron and red_spork like this.
  17. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    Ok, I stand corrected on the price it sold for. It still wasn't worth that to me so I stopped bidding before it got there. Once I got to that territory I found other coins at a similar price range I was more interested in instead. So I bid on a RR denarius for the same price and won.

    Look, it's a nice coin, but I was personally more drawn to other coins at that price level. Nothing wrong with paying $115 for it if you like it though
     
  18. JBGood

    JBGood Collector of coinage Supporter

    But it didn't go way over estimate is the point. Peace Out.
     
  19. Sallent

    Sallent Live long and prosper

    :mad:
     
  20. stevex6

    stevex6 Random Mayhem

    Wow JBG => that's a slick conch coin ... oh, and you too, Noob (total winners)

    :rolleyes::rolleyes:
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page