history of indian coins.

EARLY ANCIENT SILVER COIN FROM INDIA

India developed some of the world's earliest coins sometime around 600BC. The coins were made by taking a flat, though often irregularly shaped, piece of silver, cutting it to the proper weight, then applying a series of punches to the front of it, indicating where and when it was made. The punches covered a wide variety of symbols. As the coin circulated, additional punches were sometimes put on the back, verifying the weight and fineness of the coin. The coin, known as the Punchmarked Karshapana, continued to be issued until about the second century BC. Today the coin is one of the least expensive early coins available, and represents one of the earliest approaches to the development of coinage.

BRONZE COINS OF THE KUSHAN EMPIRE

The Kushan Empire covered much what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India from about the first to the third century AD. They grew wealthy controlling trade centers on the Silk Road and on the Indus River and incorporated elements of the Greek, Roman, Chinese, Persian, Indian and other cultures into their lives. Their coins incorporate Greek designs and often use a corrupted Greek alphabet in the legends. Kujula Kadphises united a loose confederation of tribes to form the Kushan Empire in about 30AD. He further expanded the Empire until his death in 80AD. This bronze tetradrachm of Kujula Kadphises features a Greek style diademed head on the obverse and Hercules with a club or another Greek deity on the reverse. The coin grades Good to Fine. We also have well made bronze Tetradrachms of Kushan king “Soter Megas”. The title “Soter Megas” means Great Savior. The coin, which grades VG to Fine, shows the Greek style diademed bust of the king on one side, and the king on horseback on the other. The king thought of himself as being so great, he did not need to put his actual name on the coin. Until quite recently however, scholars did not know who really was! It is now believed that he is Vima Takha who succeeded Kujula Kadphises, ruling from 80AD to 105AD. He expanded his empire into what is now Pakistan. We also have a number of worn, unidentified Kushan thick bronze Tetradrachms and bronze Drachms I don’t have the time to work these up. Most coins feature the king standing on one side and a Greek, Indian or other deity on the other. The unidentified coins date from about 105 to 225AD and grade Poor to Good.

ANCIENT SILVER PORTRAIT DRACHM

This ancient silver portrait drachm was struck by Skanda-gupta, who ruled the Gupta Empire from 455 to about 485AD. The Empire was one of the most famous and prosperous Hindu dynasties of India. The name Skanda is derived from the name Alexander the Great who had marched into India some 700 years earlier. Skanda was not as successful against his enemies as his namesake, and lost much of his empire to the invading Huns (Hepthalites). The coin grades Good to Very Good and has a very crude portrait of the Emperor on the obverse. The reverse has legends and symbols.

BRASS TANKA OF DELHI SULTAN MUHAMMAD III

Muhammad III bin Tughluq ruled much of India from 1325 to 1351AD. He was a scholar, calligrapher and an innovative monarch. Unfortunately he did not always consider the consequences of his innovations. Vast amounts of his treasury was spent trying to expand and consolidate his realm. This only encouraged numerous revolts throughout his realm. He forcibly moved his entire capital and all its inhabitants from Delhi to a more central location in the Deccan of central India. Unfortunately there was insufficient water to support the population, and the capital was returned to Delhi two years later, with great suffering and loss of life of the citizens. About 1330AD he tried to replace the silver Tanka with this brass Tanka, in an effort to boost his treasury. The brass Tanka has beautiful calligraphy on both sides, with legends to encourage its citizens to accept the debased currency. His unhappy citizens, forced to accept this token coinage, soon started to counterfeit them in vast numbers. Foreign traders would not accept the brass Tankas Within a few years he was forced to return to the silver Tanka, redeeming both real and fake brass Tankas at a great cost to his treasury. It is reported that a “mountain” of these brass Tankas remained lying outside the sultanate’s treasuries for over a century. The coins grade Fine to Very Fine with some green patina

UNUSUAL AKBAR THE GREAT SILVER COIN FROM BAGLANA

This silver Mahmudi was struck by the Raga of Baglana at his mint in Muhler, India. The unusual denomination was struck at the request of traders in the port of Surat. It is based on the Persian Mahmudi, which was widely used in Surat, rather than contemporary Mughal coins. The coin was struck in the name of Akbar the Great. Akbar ascended to the Mughal at the age of 14 in 1556AD. He greatly expanded his empire to include most of northern and central India. He was relatively tolerant of the practices of those he conquered, which brought him wide respect. Though he died in 1605, the coin continued to be struck in his name for a few years. The thick silver coin weighs about 5.5 grams and grades Very Fine

COINS OF THE INDIAN PRINCELY STATES

Though the British controlled most of India prior to its independence in 1947, many of the Indian states retained their right to issue coins. Most coins could only be used within the state they were issued and there was little standardization of the coins or denominations issued from state to state. The result was a bewildering array of coins, many of which have limited mintages. We have assembled a collection of coins from nine different states. These collections have proved very popular. Because of the difficulty in obtining coins of the Indian States, we sometimes have to vary the exact coins included in the set. The latest group of sets we made up included are a square Paisa from Bahawalpur, 1/4 Anna of Gwalior that pictures the Maharajah, a 1/4 Anna from Indore that pictures a bull, a paisa from Jodhpur struck during World War II, a coin from Kutch that was issued with a center hole, an eight-sided 1 Anna from Mewar, a Dokdo from Nawanagar that was struck from about 1570 to 1894 with virtually no change in the design, a 1 Pice coin from Tonk and a tiny 19th century Travencore 1 Cash that pictures a six-pointed star in a circle. It is a fascinating collection from a fascinating and ancient

INDIA’S FIRST DECIMAL COINS INCLUDES ODD SHAPES

India introduced their first decimal coins in 1957. The coins were initially called Naye Paise, or new Paise, to distinguish them from the previous coins. In order to aid the many blind in the country, each coin was distinctly different. This six coin set includes the round 1 Naye Paisa, scalloped edge 2 Naye Paisa, the square 5 Naye Paise, the scalloped edge 10 Naye Paisa, the round 25 Naye Paise, all dated 1957, and the round 50 Naye Paise dated 1960, its first year of issue. The coins have the denomination on one side and the lion capital from the Sarnath pillar of Ashoka. The Ashoka lion capital was erected around 250BC and now serves as the national emblem of India. All 6 coins are Uncirculated.

MODERN INDIAN COIN SET INCLUDES ODD SHAPES

This set of ten recent coins of India includes 6 odd-shaped coins. Included is the 11-sided 2002 2 Rupee features a map of India. The 2001 1 Rupee is struck in stainless steel. The 1999 50 Paisa features the Parliament building and a map of India. A rhinoceros is featured on the 1994 25 paise. The aluminum 1988 20 Paisa coin is a siven sided coin. The 1988 10 paisa is also struck in stainless steel. The square 5 Paisa is dated 1993. The 1971 3 Paisa coin is a six sided coin. The 1976 2 Paisa has scallopped edges. The 1972 1 Paisa is square. Because of their low purchasing power and the high cost of production, the lower four denominations are no longer issued and are increasingly difficult to get. The The reverse of the coins features three lions from the ancient Pillar of Asoka, a sandstone pillar from the third century BC. It is an interesting set that includes a variety of unusual shapes.

NEW COINS FROM INDIA

This set includes five recent coins from India. Included is recently released, 2006 dated bi-metallic 10 Rupees. The other four coins are all dated 2009. There are two 5 Rupees, one a regular issue that utilizes the same design as the previous regular issue, however is struck in an aluminum-bronze alloy. The other commemorates the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. Alphonsa. St. Alphonsa was a catholic nun who died in 1946. Soon miraculous cures were attributed to her. In 2008 she became the second person of Indian origin to be canonized a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. The stainless steel 1 and 2 Rupees portray ancient Bharata Natyam Dance hand gestures. The 2 Rupee looks like a someone flashing a peace sign and the one rupee is someone giving a thumbs up. The three headed Asoka lion pedestal is on the obverse of each coin.