On The Square

Top Coin: Western European AR Millaresa
AR, NM,ND 19 mm x 20 mm x 1.17 grams

Bottom Coin: Almohad Muwahid Dirham
AR,NM,ND 13.8 mm x 14.0 mm x 1.40 grams

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

We all can't forget about the Trifecta! A,B and C!!
Top to Bottom:

Chandragupta Maurya 322-293 BC Grandfather

Bindusara Maurya 293-272 BC Father

Ashoka Maurya 272-232 BC Son

 

And now for something different, an overstruck Byzantine follis. They told it it could be anything it wanted to be when it got overstruck, and it wanted to be a square. It unfortunately failed but it does have 4 distinct points, even if it's a little rounded between them:


Byzantine Empire, Heraclius, 610-641 AD, AE Follis(40 Nummi), Constantinople mint.
OBVERSE: No legend. Heraclius, crowned and in military attire, with moustache and long beard, holding long cross, on left and Heraclius Constantine, crowned and wearing chlamys, with short beard, holding cross on globe and scepter, on right, both standing facing.
REVERSE: Large M, ANNO to left, Gamma (third officina) underneath, uncertain regnal year to right, CON in exergue.
Overstruck on: Byzantine AE Follis, Nicomedia mint, uncertain obverse.
REVERSE: Large M, ANNO to left, cross above, regnal year I or II? to right, NIKO in exergue

 

India
Gupta Empire
Kumaragupta I (414-455)
Western Provinces
AR Drachm 12 mm x 2.09 g
Obverse: Formal Bust of KumaraGupta I right.
Reverse: Garuda facing with wings spread. Brahmi script-Parama-bhagavata rajahiraja-Sri Kumara Gupta. Mahendraditya
ref:Mit.ACE 4845

 

Any idea what the Rev. markings are? I lust this coin, by the way.

 

zumbly, this is the 1st. ancient square I ever saw when I was a child. It started my interest in them, I have remembered it for 60 years. Thanks.

 

Awesome, that is a prize.

 

Homer says... "MMmmmm, ANIMALS.... me like..."

 

Now...I.AM.CONFUSED: Why couldn't that be FATHER-SON-GRANDSON... my mind is spinning...

 

. I think I understand... maybe. Chandragupta Maurya, Grandfather (of Ashoka Maurya?), Bindusara Maurya, Father (of Ashoka Maurya?), Son (of Bindusara Maurya?). Or is Chandragupta Maurya the grandfather of Bindusara Maurya?

 

Naw...from the perspective of the First King: MY progeny are SON and GRANDSON! I AM THE KING! They can be Kings LATER!

 

Knitpickers! Ashoka is probably the only Mauryan king people would recognize. Unless you followed the exploits of Seleukos Nikator.

 

Chandragupta! Kicked the Eastern Satrapies of Alexandros' legacy!

 

I.AM.CONFUSED... is it KNITpickers or NITpickers....

 

I do not understand the nuances of the reverse marking(s). It was struck against an anvil & the localized reverse marking(s) may just be random artifacts. Ancientnoob has a similar 5 shana coin. I don't believe his coin reverse has anything resembling the artifacts seen on my reverse. His coin does have some Cupro deposits which I believe make his look quite genuine & pleasing to the eye.

AN- Please post your rectangular Buddha silver.

 

Here is the ANoob coin & my coin. I swiped the photos from another CT thread.

 

Collect89: Amazing-amazing specimen! I am fascinated that it was also issued by the Prince that became the Enlightened One! Fascinating! Are these readily found?

 

Most square coins are square because their makers wanted them to be square. I always wondered why this Alexander Jannaeus Widows Mite was struck on such a rectangle. The dies were round. When you don't care, anything is possible.

 

Being in manufacturing for so long... Did they roll out the fabric (metal) into sheets, cut them into strips, then punched their design / cut the squares as they went? Fast economical process for low-cost / low denomination coinage?