Indo-Sassanian Gadhaya Paisa Saurastrat - Silver Coin

well at least get paypal. Thankfully i still have submittal rights. If we put my name on your mailbox then the coins should come and go as they please

 

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This coin is one of the many imitations, that carried on for centuries, of the Sassanian drachm design used from about 300-650 AD in Persia. The obverse is an extremely stylized bust facing right (hair flowing left), and the reverse is an extremely stylized fire alter, attendants with raised arms on either side (only arms visible).

 

Thanks. That bust doesn't resemble a bust at all to me. What is the dots?

Ruben

 

Many of the dots would originally have been characters in Pahlavi script.

 

It’s a very interesting coin.

If you visit Saurastra/Rajsthan today, don't be surprised if you receive a similar coin in change after some market transaction. I have received few in return while visiting those areas.

Regards,
Ballabh Garg

 

You get a 1500 year old silver coin in change? How do they quantify its monetary value?

Ruben

 

you had to ask

 

and the answer is??

 

if u get it u dont want to know they are prolly trying t cheat you

 

The two person involved in a transaction has to agree on an exchange value and the transaction happens.

More then 10 years ago, I received this coin from a fruit vendor. When I asked him how he got this coin, he said a villager bought this coin and he exchanged it for one kilogram of banana. When I paid for my fruits purchase, I asked him to add the price of one kilo of banana and received this coin in return.

There are no coin dealers in that region where somebody can go and exchange these coins. And these were the coins of general public they used for so long that everybody in market accepts it based on their experience.

I was in that region in August last year and when talking to a local collector; he said that now a day, people go directly to some local jeweler to exchange them for money. The jeweler either melts them or sells those to few coin dealers in Bombay.

Later that month, I was talking to a history professor in Delhi and she told me that recently some villager in that area found several huge pots buried in one farm. The pots contained more then half million of those coins. Those were deposited with History department of Delhi University for research. Once they completed their research, some will go in various museums and rest of them will be sold in market.

Regards,
Ballabh Garg

 

This guy was selling them for, I think, $5 each so I'm not certain what a kilo of Banana's goes for, but it seems like a decent deal to me

Ruben

 

well bananas are sold by the dozen here and one dozen wont even cost you $1 you realy need to get some gold and come here

 

I can't seem to find more inofmration on this dynasty or any coinage.

Ruben

 

Have a look at this site

http://www.grifterrec.com/coins/sasania/sasanian.html

 

Yup and it is listed on the web page. my exact coin isn't on that site.

Ruben

 

One thing you need to remember Ruben that these coins were made by hand, no two would be exactly the same :bigeyes: so to have a exact match might not be possible also you might have a variety that he has not seen :thumb:

 

yeah but there was still a master design from a particular mint.