Just won an "ugly looking " coin from CNG

AV Kahavanu 3.85g./ 22mm.
Sri Lanka/ Polonnaruwa Period
King Vijaya Bahu I 1055-1110AD

obv. King recling to right holding Lotus
rev. King standing right holding Sankh Shell

Vijaya Bahu I defeated the Chola Army at Polonnaruwa/ thus bcoming the first Sihanalese Ruler of Sri Lanka.

 

Log in or Sign up to hide this ad.

Naw, not ugly! Kinda like modern art...

 

Ugly? I don't see ugly. That is a well preserved medieval East Asian gold piece. Very nice, and much different than the stuff I've seen you collect before. Are you diversifying?

 

I think it's a cool piece...and not just because it's made of gold

It's a type that @Ancientnoob would LOVE. Hmm, I haven't seen him around in quite a while.

 

I am really diversifed.....I collect EVERYTHING. My collection spans 26 centuries/ 300+ Countries/ Cities/ that issued AV coinage. My 3 other Sri Lankan coins are from Chola/ Kalinga anonymous rulers. I still have no Chinese coins Most of my collection comprises German States/ 120 examples/ then Indian States/ 60 examples....

 

If you want to collect ancient Chinese Cash coin in Gold or Silver, you need lots of patience, solid connections to big time Asian dealers, and a wheelbarrow full of cash, or a blank check for the dealer to fill as many zeroes as he desires. I can't stress how rare ancient Chinese silver and gold cash coins are...and they are priced accordingly.

 

Very cool! Later coins in the series are in billon or copper, but carry the same basic design with just the legend changed. Here's my example, of Queen Lilavati (reigned 1197-1200, then 1209-1210, and finally for a time in 1211):

 

Excellent coin @panzerman ! I enjoy your Golds.

I actually looked at a piece very similar to yours! Every time I look at them, whether in AR or AV, they always remind me of the "Goons" on the Popeye cartoons that I watched as a kid...

 

I have a Vijaya Bahu bronze which I had listed as VB IV but have no idea how to separate the rulers with the same name. Bronzes are a lot cheaper as Parthicus said. Compare the legends. Most of what I got came from a group sold at the Baltimore show ~2010. Someone had a hoard and I found several different rulers in this mix. I have never seen a gold but I never ask to see gold so I don't know if they had them as well or not.

 

Very nice! I think these are particularly beautiful coins, and very well made. Here's my Lilavati.

 

I am surprised Bing has not commented yet, he had some hilarious ones on those AV Visigothic tremissis I posted

 

I like these issues because they present a wholly Indian aesthetic, not derivative of Greco-Roman coinage at all. Not that I don't love Greco-Roman aesthetics of course, but soooooo many Eastern issues are imitative of Western coins. I wish Eastern coiners had approached their craft the same way Eastern artists, musicians, and architects approached theirs. Even a layman can see that these coins are Indian in quality.

 

I like it.. it's really feo (that's ugly in Spanish)

 

Pretty neat, and its gold too so how can it be ugly?

I have an Indian coin that gave me some trouble in ID'ing it. Took a while to get my mind into the abstract art.

 

LOL, love your tag-line xx TROLL HUNTER xx !!!

 

Ugly but neat.

 

haha! i remember alice the goon!

 

i'm kinda like that to panzerman, now i'm digging around trying to find all my India coinage and getting mad cause i can't. if organization=smart, i'd be the dumbest sob in the house! anyway.. nice OP coin! gold..all that glitters..here's a couple i did find related to this thread, of Raja Raja Chola southern India and Sri Lanka 985-1014. i've always called these type coins "octopus", they were heavy into many limbs.

 

Nice tour through these types. Here another one from the region:

 

Here are two more from my coll.

AV Kahavana ND Anonymous Rulers/ Kalinga Dynasty 4.30g./21mm.
AV 1/4 Kahavana ND Anonymous Rulers Kalinga Dynasty 103g./15mm.