I was really excited about finally receiving a coin that I searched high and low for with out success. It seems to never be offered in auctions. This coin made in the imperial Chola fashion names the ruling king, in this case Vijayabahu. Coins bearing the name of Vijayabahu are known in gold, silver and bronze. The bronze issues are variously attributed to Vijayabahu I,II, and IV. Most suspect it is Vijayabahu II or IV based on letter form, which became sharper and more regular in size as time progressed. Overall the coinage of Vijayabahu I is quite rare, it is extremely rare in "good" gold as the bulk of his coinage is "base" gold or ~5 karats. What is considered a gold coin still eludes me. This coin silver in appearance and fabric. All "gold(ish)" 4 gram(ish) coinage is given a general name for the denomination Kahavanu, yet after speaking with an expert on South Indian coinage, the denomination " Kalanju" would be more appropriate as it is the correct name of the silver Chola coinage of which this imitates. I had my source provide a metallurgical analysis at one of the labs available on Sri Lanka and the results are....please note all limitations in X-Ray analysis that is beyond the scope of this thread. Silver 47.84% Copper 44.73% Gold 6.11% Zinc 0.01% Nickle 0.02% Indium 0.01% Attribution is based on the font of the king's name and the execution of the heads of the kings on the coin. This coin is of the Lotus / Conch variation with a very clear Lamp in the obverse left field. This is often referred to as a hanging Sri Vatsa temple. I think it shares some characteristics of a Sri Vatsa but I think it looks like a decorative lamp, although a temple would be appropriate. My coin has only a hint of the Lotus stalk underneath the king on the obverse, but I can live with it, all things considered. The type has unsubscribed symbol in the extreme bottom left of the obverse, the plate example is far worn in the area, on mine the device can be seen, but I don't think I can accurately describe it. If I were to take an educated guess on my symbol, I would think it is the pot from the Bull & Pot coins of the ancient period which also share the "lamp symbol" The type is probably closest to Colombo Museum #100, and pl. 72 with no asana device on the reverse. The coin's appearance could be improved by removing some deposits and blotchy black marks but, I like character. It's staying as is. You comments, questions and corrections are encouraged and appreciated. Oh and here is the Neopolitan.
Wonderful presentation @Ancientnoob!!! After reading your OP, I feel I can understand and appreciate these types far more than I otherwise would have. I especially LOVE your combined three photo shot. It seems one could almost see a progression in 'expertise' from top to bottom or even from bottom to top LOL. The imitative example(s) suggest a bit of the Celtic mentality. And the metal content is interesting....making me wonder if theses issues were all official and/or purposely debased??? Congrats, Coin-Bud !!!!
Thanks for you comment Mikey. I fear we may never know what was an imitation and what was an original coin.
Can't wait to see what @Quant.Geek and @THCoins has to say. Hey @Ardatirion have you seen any of these at CNG? Checked your old stock and nada, searched Polonnaruva Period.
Very nice trio ! I have never seen this design from sri lanka in silver in real life, though i know it existed. Makes one wonder indeed if the silver issue was meant as a seperate denominoation or just the endstage of lowering the gold content. Here a later mainland derivative where the lamp looks more like a fish.
oh that's neat in silver (or sort of silver?) AN! that's a cool coin also THC, i haven't seen the "octopus man" with bull combo!
I have not seen any. I was only aware of the gold kavanahu issues, and the later bronzes. Could this be a Chola issue from the mainland?
Negative the coin names the King Sri Vi Ja Ya Bahu. https://sirimunasiha.wordpress.com/...iya-kasi/coins-of-king-vijayabahu-i1055-1110/
