Rather than necromancing an old thread, I figured I'd start a new one. My collecting interests are always pretty broad, but for the past several months I've been accumulating some silver karshapana coins of the Maurya Empire, as well as their Magadha predecessors. I'm not sure whether anyone else here is really interested in them, but I wanted to share a few of my favorites, and I'd love to see some examples that my fellow CTers might have. I'm also happy to try and ID any examples anyone might be wondering about, since I have purchased the excellent Punchmarked Coinage of the Indian Subcontinent by Gupta and Hardaker. These are pretty enigmatic and might not appeal to the aesthetic that most coin collectors are used to, but with a little research they can be very interesting. They can be visually pleasing for their symbols as well as for their toning and/or shape, which is highly varied. There are hundreds of rare varieties, but they can all be classified by a relatively simple system once you get the hang of it. While they cannot be attributed to specific rulers, they can be broken down into smaller chronological periods. Karshapana of the Magadha Janapada, ~400 - 321 BC. 2.88g, 22x19mm. G&H Series II #289; unidentified reverse undertype Reverse: Sun symbol, six-armed symbol, elephant, taurine and others. Obverse: Sun symbol, six-armed symbol, spoked wheel, taurine and others Karshapana of the Magadha Janapada, ~370 – 321 BC. 3.25g, 19x17mm. G&H Series IVd #402 Obverse: Sun, six-armed symbol, frog, 'caduceus,' and other marks Reverse: Banker's mark Karshapana of the Maurya Empire, Ashoka and successors, ~272 – 232 BC. 3.42g, 1413mm. G&H Series Vb #510-11 Obverse: Sun, six-armed symbol, 'caduceus,' tree in railing symbol, deer/goat Reverse: Taurines symbol Karshapana of the Magadha Janapada, Ashoka and successors, ~272 – 232 BC. 3.40g, 13x11mm. G&H Series Vb 525 Obverse: Sun, six-armed symbol, archer, 'goddess', and other symbols Reverse: Banker's marks Karshapana of the Magadha Janapada, Ashoka and successors, ~272 – 232 BC. 3.38g, 15x11mm. G&H Series VIb 570. Countermarked reverse. Obverse: Arched hills, sun, six-armed wheel and other marks Reverse: Peacock on hill and miniature steelyard weight; counter marked by three men symbol Karshapana, post-Mauryan (?), ~late 3rd century - early 2nd century BC. 3.48g, 13x14mm. G&H Series VII 591 Obverse: Three men, steelyard, and peacock on hill symbols Reverse: Peacock on hill, banker's mark
Very nice @SeptimusT ! It's not my specialty, but I do have a few punchmark coins in my collection. Here's one from Magadha, G-H# 443, assigned by Mitchiner to Time of the Eight Sons of Mahapadma Nanda (c.346-321 BC): And one from the Mauryans, G-H #587, attributed by Mitchiner to the Period of Samprati (c.217-206 BC):
Interesting! I've seen these in a few dealer's bins before they are cool but they were daunting and I wasn't sure how to identify them.
..i have a couple of non silvers in my ancient India collection.....does anyone else have trouble unloading pics?...i get an error message 90% of the time..and while i don't anything pressing to do, i dont' have time for that..
Nice coins!....I do find these intriguing!...Love the 3 figures stamp! Mine apparently attributed to Devadharman-Devavarman?
Those are cool, @SeptimusT ! I like how all the incuse punchmark designs makes for a tapestry-like effect. The thread was very educational, too. It's always interesting to read outside of ones pet area.
These are fun and interesting - only have two though (and one is more easily identifiable than the other): Mauryan Empire King Ashoka & Successors, 270-175/50 B.C. AR Karshapana, 16.2 x 12.61mm x 4 grams Obv.: five punchmarks, mark one: 468 (sun symbol); two: 392 (Six-Armed Symbol); three: 374 (arches); four: 15 (three circles and line); five: 142 (human) Rev.: One punchmark: 15 (three circles and line) Ref.: Gupta & Hardaker 566, Series VIb, type VI IV C 142. Mauryan Empire Anonymous, 321-187 B.C. AR Karshapana, 17.08x11.94 mm x 2.7 grams Obv.: 4 (5?) punchmarks Rev.: Undetermined punchmark Ref.: (G&H 227 Type I XXXII A 2 ? Too small)
I tried to get interested in these but, as too often the case, soon moved on to other coins without giving the attention required. The skill here is being able to recognize small parts of some marks and not be distracted by the nearly pervasive six arm and sun marks. When buying from unidentified lots, I found myself accumulating 'duplicates' of a couple types (like GH574) to the point I had to refer to them by shapes. The book even has a section on 'unclear' coins and the coins I saw and could make neither up nor down of some marks was all I needed to move on. I do believe the GH book is a great effort and their excellent photos and drawings made seeing the ID's of the plate coins easy. Translating that to my 'ordinary' coins did not prove immediately obvious. Do not take my ID guesses too seriously. They are not guaranteed. GH574 (My Indiana) GH 574 My round GH 574 My square another? GH 586 There are three separate punches for the three men - I failed to find one with the three together on one punch. I paid Don Zauche $7 for this one as a challenge to see if I could ID it but it turned out to be over my head. I thought the five dot 'die' would make it easy. It did not.
INDIA MAURYA India Maurya ser VIB AR Karshapana punchmark 270-175 BC ASHOKA India Mauryan or Sanga 3.4g Rect India Mauryan or Sanga 3
Try to get them with two connected dots... much scarcer. I found mine with TWO sets of two connected dots (one set on each side). Was told this was very rare. Kinda lucked into this one: India Gandahara AR Bent Bar 11.3g 650-600 BCE RARE two dots - also have on BOTH sides VERY RARE
I would say that last one is impossible. Its very probable its GH 320 since that is a very common type, and four of the symbols match. There is a line which is the edge of the missing symbol which is probably the "fish-in-tank" symbol. There are a few possible alternatives, like 332 etc, but I think those are all rare. Rob T
I only have two punchmarked coins, and only one Mauryan. Lacking the G&H book I've never ID'd it so would gladly take you up on your offer! It looks to be the same as @Spaniard's and the type Doug lists as GH 574. My other (non-Magadha/Mauryan) is allegedly rare. I bought it as Vatsa Janapada, unpublished variant of Rajgor Series 78 type 1210: One of the punchmarks is supposed to be a scorpion, but I'm not sure which - there are two on the reverse that both look a bit scorpionish. Probably the one just above the centre?
INDIA PUNCHMARKS INDIA Gandhara Janapada. 6th - 5th Century BCE AR Shana, or 1/8 Shatamana, 15mm, 1.4g. Obv.: Six armed Taxila symbol with pellet between arms. Rev.: Blank as made. Reference: Pieper 12; Mitchner 4079ff; HGC 12, 763; Rajgor Series 41 From the @Sallent Collection, Ex Ken Dorney I failed to post this last Wednesday, 8-April, on Buddha's Birthday. I am sure he is ok with my tardiness. Namaste. India - Shakya Janapada AR 5-Shana 6th-5th Century BCE 25mm x 21mm, 7.05g Obv: Central Pentagonal punch plus several banker's marks Rev: Blank Ref: Hirano Type I.8.29 19 known. Coinage from the Ghaghara Gandak River region Minted in the Shakya Janaprada during Siddhārtha Gautama's (Later the Buddha) lifetime while he was prince, and under the authority of his father as King
I have seen these coins before and would love to get into them. I find them seriously intriguing and mystifying in nature. Perhaps I too should get this book someday. I don't have any of these punch-marked coins, yet! It's true! I never thought about it that way, but they do take on that interesting appearance, like a tapestry telling a story. I couldn't help but laugh at "My Indiana."
I recently acquired a set of three pre-Mauryan, Magadha Janapada. INDIA. Magadha. 5th-4th centuries BC. AR square punch-marked karshapana, 15mm, 3.2g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: blank, as made. Reference:GH 450, series IVd. INDIA. Magadha. 5th-4th centuries BC. AR round punch-marked karshapana, 17mm, 3.4g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: blank, as made. Reference:GH 464, series IVd INDIA. Magadha. 5th-4th centuries BC. AR rectangular punch-marked karshapana, 23x11mm, 3.3g. Obv.: 5 Punches. Rev: bankers marks. Reference:GH 468, series IVd. I also came across this very interesting video about Ashoka...
I suspect EWC3 is right about Doug's mystery coin being GH 320, but I hadn't been able to ID it myself. Seems plausible! And @Severus Alexander's is 574, like Doug's other coin. Some really cool coins here, especially @Alegandron's Shakya coin! For anyone interested in getting Gupta-Hardaker, Printasia.com has the most affordable copy that I've seen, at least in the US.
if you’re a member of the ANA, you can also borrow a copy from their library (that’s what I did anyway...)
Here is my best punchmarked coin! I don't know much about it but it was sold as a Mauryan karshapana. I don't have the weight right now but it's pretty fair, maybe 3-4g if I hda to guess.
I have one too, bought thinking I'd figure it out someday... but don't know where to start. Anyone have any idea of what I have here?