Buddha Cash - Magadha Series 1 Karshapana ( BC 550-470)

Within a few decades of the dawn of coinage. The Buddha attained enlightenment in the city of Gaya in Magadha, there he spent the good majority of his life teaching the ways of enlightenment. Gupta & Hardaker attribute all series I coinage to the reigns of Bimbisara and Ajatasatru making them contemporary with the Buddha. The Buddha is thought to have died in the 8th year of the reign of Ajatasatru. Bimbisara, the Father of Ajatasatru is said to have offered his throne and the kingdom of Magadha to the Buddha, of which the Buddha refused. See image below...





Karsha comes from the Sanskrit, and is the origin of the word English word Cash, and Pana means coin. Thus the first Cash-Coin. These coins are fairly rare and come in several different varieties many of which are known from a single specimen. These coins originally had 4 large punches applied. These punches are often equated to symbols of Magadha authority rather than the symbol of a specific ruler. They symbols might have been placed as a way of guaranteeing the weight and purity of the silver coin. Smaller subsequent marks are generally added usually these are considered bankers marks.

This coin is rather large and represents one of the earliest of types within Series I. My research into this piece is currently on going.

India
Kingdom of Magadha
Bimbisara to Ajatasatru
AR Karshapana (BC 550- 470)
28 mm x 3.42 grams
Obverse: 5 Large Punchmarks and one bankers mark(?), Archaic bent rayed sun, Bow with Arrow, 6 rayed design, Bull head circle Bull Head, Large Solar symbol, center Tree(?)
Ref: G&H Series I (Variation)
Note: Buddha Cash coin!

 

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Very nice pickup and history.

 

Another very interesting coin AN. Thanks for the great writeup

 

Very interesting. I like that history. I was reading up on the orgin of the word CASH a few weeks ago and found this on Wikipedia - quote "The word is variously attributed. Some claim that the word "cash" comes from the modern French word caisse, which means (money) box, from the Provençal word caissa, from the Italian cassa, from the Latin capsa all meaning box. In the 18th century, the word passed to refer to the money instead of the actual box containing it.[1] Another claim is that it was derived from Tamil word kāsu (Tamil: காசு) meaning a coin, by East India Company" Closed quote.
Like it states the meaning of the word cash, it is variously attributed.

 

A little extra knowledge added today, thanks. Plus a great coin to appreciate. I look forward to hearing any new information you find in your research.

 

I wonder what the edge is all about. The coin is roundish but the edge looks like it was made by several straight cuts (maybe before or maybe after the obverse stamps were applied on an anvil). Does anyone know about the minting process or care to speculate about how/why the flan was made round like this?

 

check out this page at forum, looks like they put the metal in sheets and just clipped to weight...no so much concerned about a specific shape.

http://www.forumancientcoins.com/india/earliest/punchmrk.html

i know several punchmarked coins can have the same attribution, and have a very different shape...but have the same punchmarks.

i assumed the punchmarks came first, because many of them are only partially on the flan, and which punchmarks on on and off seems to be highly variable. but i don't know that is the case...and the article above implies otherwise.



anyway...that's a fantastic coin AN...and a great write up.

here's my last punchmarked coin...




this is my oldest, it MAY be as old as AN's coin...about 5th century BC (could be much newer as well)...

 

It is believed your coin is a fair amount older .... yours is a 1/4 Shatamana struck around BC 600, in Gandhara. It rivals even the Electrum pieces of Lydia on order of vintage. Now you need the full unit...BENT BAR!

http://www.ancientcoins.ca/fakepunchmarks/fakes.htm#Magadha

 

map...

 

Did I forget to ask everyone to pile on their Karshapanas!

 

i think your correct AN, i see more dated 600-300 than 500-300.

 

Hey where are all the punch mark coins, doesn't every one have at least one.

...Weak fella's, except for Chrsmat, Great coins.

 

Here are mine, one round and the other..square...ish (clipped):




These reverse symbols have been related to Ashoka (304-232 BC) founder of India.

 

Ashoka was not the founder of India, but the third and most powerful and well known king of the Mauryan Dynasty. The Dynasty succeeded the Empire of Magadha and then subjugated many peoples.

Excellent coins BTW. I am starting to grow very fond the punchmark coins. So old, so mysterious with much variety to suit most everyone's desires.

 

Yes, perhaps I didn´t express it well, I meant that he ruled over a vast spread of land which came to be known as India.

 

Absolutely correct!! Ashoka's domain was probably the largest extent of territory an empire ever had in India, during the time of Ashoka, the Mauryan controlled all but the most southern part of India and Sri Lanka.

 

BTW, these are the punchmarks on those Mauryan squares. I'm not sure if this is exhaustive - just something I found on the web. I've read that the standing figure could be interpreted as Shiva, which would make it one of the earliest representations of the god.

 

I guess it's not exhaustive, because here are some more. I see that it depends on the series...

 

I THINK I am able to translate the symbols listed 1-5 and REV:
"Hey, it's sunny (1) outside, so let's grab our spears and shields (2) and go hunting. Oops, it got cloudy and getting ready to rain (3), so lets the 3 of us run home (4)...oops, looks like a bad-guy much bigger than us...(5), we will run away (REV) from him hiding, on the reverse of this coin."

I've read some about the early civilizations in India (Indus Valley, etc.) Incredible amount of civilization, symbols, cities, towns, etc. in which the peoples never had a written language that could be found, let alone translated! Several symbols found... Frustrating, that we cannot unlock so much information, knowledge, and histories of these early-emerging civilizations! I understand they were contemporaries of the AEgytion and Mesopotamian emerging civilizations.

 

Noob: Awesome write up! I am really becoming fascinated with the early punched and square coinage.

I am always intrigued by the people and minds for whom were among the FIRST to start, or to create, or to do things. Those are breakthroughs...