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1 Karshapana
| Issuer | Uncertain Indian mint (India (ancient)) |
|---|---|
| Year | 175 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Karshapana |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Five punch-marked symbols applied to the obverse field of this irregular rectangular planchet: a solar symbol (GH 468), a six-armed wheel with alternating taurine and arrow terminals (GH 462), a crescent surmounting a three-arched hill (GH 374), a tree issuing from the corner of a squared-square motif (GH 270), and a bull standing above a ground line with a taurine device beneath its muzzle (GH 145). Each symbol was individually impressed by a separate punch, characteristic of the punch-marked coinage tradition of ancient India. The surface is granular and worn, consistent with the base-silver fabric typical of late Mauryan and post-Mauryan karshapana issues. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The karshapana series presents one of ancient numismatics' more stubborn attribution problems. Punch-marked silver from the post-Mauryan period circulated across overlapping regional authorities, and without a controlling mint name or dynastic legend, pieces like this one resist clean assignment. GH#600 places it within a recognized typological group, but "uncertain Indian mint" is an honest acknowledgment rather than a failure of research.
The apparent base silver content is worth noting — debasement in punch-marked coinage of this period often reflects local economic pressure rather than central policy, since no single authority controlled the entire subcontinent after the Mauryan collapse around 185 BC.