I love buying things I know nothing about. I do know what a Damaru and I own a few pictured on other coins. Remember this guy...from Burma. The Pyu thought it was cool to tie a bow around it and make sound waves. (obverse.) The reverse is a cool temple and a primordial ocean and all go out with a bang. Pyu Final Coinage AD 800-832 35 mm x 9.53 grams The Damaru is a double sided drum that was created by Shiva in order to make the cosmic sounds to create and regulate the universe. This is important to both Hindu and Buddhist faiths and was once a simple recognizable by all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damaru In the time of Alexander the Great the Mauryan dynasty ruled most of India and subjugated many of the indigenous tribes, kingdoms and cultures. When the Mauryan Empire collapsed in the second century BC, all those different people struck, cast or punched their own coinages. Sometime during this period a tribe known as the Kaushambi cast coins in the shape of the Damaru. Everyone would have known what this was had it landed in their hand. Larger coins some as large as 5 grams have a standing deity and various Hindu and Buddhist symbol. This one appears to have no detail or inscriptions and seems to be made as such. Today it is impossible to assign these coins to a particular ruler, so this is the best I got. India, Ganges Valley Kaushambi Indigenous Tribal Coinage Anonymous (2nd century BC) AE 1/2 Karshapana (?) 14 mm x 5 mm x 0.94 grams For a survey see Savita Sharma, ND vol.V, pt.II, pp.1-3, 'Damaru-shaped coins from Kausambi'
how weird! kind of reminds me of my olbia cast dolphin money... i'm not sure if this stuff is "coins"...but it is cool!
The tails side has it all: Lightning, fire, sun, moon, premordial ocean. Is that reproduction or a temple at the center of it all? This puppy is the size of a Morgan dollar!
I wanted to mention that I spotted something interesting in the thread about my Series I Karshapana... Chrsmat was kind enough to post up his punchmark coin and while studying his image, I noticed something quite interesting, that I had not noticed before. I found another Coin Talk member with a Damaru! I also realize I need to reshoot the Damaru...its Fuzzy JA!!!!
Good question. Everything I have read suggests only copper, but several sizes exist, all small, the monetary system is yet fully understood but there have been great strides made in the past few years.
