I am currently bidding on this coin, less than $2.00 at this point. The only information the seller provided is: Ancient India - Saurashtra punchmark - King Ashoka Buddha Period. The only thing i found simuilair to it was this: http://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces73478.html And here is the one i am bidding on:
The pictures aren't very clear, but does anyone have any further information on this particular coin? I'm assuming from what i have found that it is from roughly 200 b.c. to 100 b.c. There is a reference to Anne van't Haaff series# 14.
I am by no means an expert on this, but looked into them when purchasing one of my own. My understanding is that the coins issued in the time of Ashoka have a stamp with three connected circles and a line through them, like this one (you see it on both the obverse and reverse):
Yours appears to be a silver kashapana of the Mauryan Empire, c. 321-150 BC. Most coins have 5 obverse punchmarks and a single reverse punch. They are usually classed by GH (Gupta-Hardaker) numbers. This particular coin may be quite difficult to attribute precisely, the punches being mostly very weak. You can see a variety of examples here: http://www.zeno.ru/showgallery.php?cat=10545
at first i thought it was like mine, a common type, but i don't think it is now. mine is gh 574. we have some of the same punches, but i don't think they are all the same. look here at the "india" section. http://grifterrec.rasmir.com/coins.html
I doubt the coin is from the period of Ashoka, as those can be isolated by the symbol repeated FitzNigel's coin. Saurashtra is the region in western India where these are commonly found. I don't know for sure if this particular coin comes from there precisely but it could make sense. The coin has little to do with Buddha and does not come from the lifetime or period of the Buddha. For that you need to look for one of these. Buyer beware. From the lifetime and homeland of the Buddha. 5 Shana of Shakya. or one of these... A Series 1 Karshapana of Magadah
Okay, not the best for attributing, but this is the page I was thinking of: http://www.forumancientcoins.com/india/
Gupta & Hardaker recognize 625 distinct punchmarks and 649 combinations broadly grouped as "Magadha-Mauryan" (the Mauryan empire was the successor of the Magadha kingdom") and sub-divided into seven series. The three-arched symbol on your coin (perhaps representing a Buddhist shrine) is characteristic of GH series VI, comprising some 64 symbol combinations. At present, it is not possible to attribute any given set of symbols to any specific ruler. Some researchers have made suggestions but there is no consensus. The best that can be said with some certainty is that the coin probably dates no earlier than Ashoka, the first Mauryan ruler to profess Buddhism, but could have been issued during his reign or in that of any of his successors down to the Sunga dynasty.
Thanks for all the references, i've skimmed over them, but haven't found an exact match yet. I think the top center punchmark is the sun symbol, and i cant really pick out any others. trying to figure out what the two lines to the right of the sun would be.
Thank you dltsrq. Great information. I usually collect more modern foreign coins, but love the history that comes with attributing ancient coins.
