An ancient south east Asian Mon silver broad conch shell coin. Indigenous to Burma and Thailand. Circa 9th century. Interestingly it is around 19.5g whilst usual full units are around 9.5g. Unusual thick and heavy for its type. The symbols are characteristics of the Buddhist auspicious symbols of the time. Bearing the motifs of the srivatsa (throne or palace) flanked by a swastika, bhadrapitha, sun and moon.
Another silver broad conch shell Mon Coin. Circa 4th--6th century AD. Srivatsa flanked by a sun and moon. Full unit.
I am curious to know where to find coins like these? Are they too rare/expensive for most collectors?
Sweet, sweet conch shells, my friend (yup, those are very cool) Ummm, I don't have a conch, but I did recently add this lil' baby to collection ... => it's Clam-time!! AEOLIS, Gryneion. Æ11 4th century BC Diameter: 11 mm Weight: 1.63 grams Obverse: Laureate head of Apollo facing slightly left Reverse: Mussel
@Daniel Jones If we told you that we would have to kill you. You can find them online but best to get from a trusted dealer. All you have to do is know the key words. For coinage like this it is best you acquire a text. These are probably some of the rarest coins ever struck and the rarest to find a collector for. Rare yes! Expensive not really when compared to other more common coinages. People in the West don't generally collect these and people in the East focus on China and India and the Thai early modern coinages. This is truly the undiscovered country. @Loong Siew I am thrilled you acquired these coins, but as discussed earlier I have reservations on the authenticity of the 19 gram coin. Never seen it, can't find a reference for it, and the style looks generally off. Coin # 2 looks good in my eyes. I will share my coins of Mon, Funan, Pyu and Sailendra when I return home.
The weight on the first one would have me nervous - that is a particular coin type I was familiar with and then I found one severely overweight, I would be nervous. I don't know anything about these. I was just speaking generally.
Thanks @Ancientnoob . Coin number 1 is unusual. I am not too familiar with the South East Asian coins too much but the antiquated look and fact that in some ancients such as in Sogdian coins where double drachms do exists gave me some hope that hopefully it may actually exist but an unusual variant. Thankfully it did not cost me too much and I look forward to following up with the seller next time I am back in Bangkok
Thanks @Jwt708 . I would dismiss modern strucks and coins belonging to other cultures by the weight alone. But for these primitive and obscure types, I am still hopeful until I can gather some better clarifications and deeper research.. unfortunately at the moment the only material I have is very limited. But if it is a fantasy, I am looking forward to discuss with the dealer the next time I am back in Bangkok.
Conch shell 2 I am quite confident as they fit all aspects of the standards for the series. Conch shell 1 is where things get interesting..
I am very confident in the awesomeness of coin #2! I was looking at an example of coin #2 but i have sooo many wants! I need the wide conch type!
There is also another bigger and fatter Conch type which is like a balloon. I am thinking that maybe I may consider looking for one next time I am back there
Another thing worthy of note and a common mistake in just about all texts is the orientation of the Conch. The rings should be pointed down, like it appears in all other art forms of the region.
Yeah.. however it may be because it is likely more artistically appealing in reverse .. like a vessel
