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1 Karshapana
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 322 BC - 185 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square silver flan bearing multiple punch-marked symbols applied individually across the field. The principal device in the lower portion consists of a six-armed sun symbol or wheel motif with radiating elements, partially obscured by verdigris patina. Additional smaller punches are distributed across the upper field, including a crescent or arched symbol at centre-top, a stylised animal or zoomorphic punch at upper left, and further geometric or symbol punches at upper right and lower right. The surface exhibits the characteristic uneven, textured appearance resulting from the punch-marking technique, with each symbol struck independently onto the silver flan. |
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| Reverse description | Plain, nearly smooth silver field with a single banker's mark or secondary punch-mark visible at centre-right, depicting a curved crescent-like or humped animal symbol incuse into the flan. The remainder of the reverse is largely unadorned, displaying the natural granular texture of the hammered silver surface with minor flow lines and patination consistent with ancient circulation wear. The squared corners are gently rounded, and the overall surface retains its original silver colour beneath a light grey patina. |
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| Additional information |
The karshapana predates the Mauryan Empire itself — punch-marked silver had been circulating across the Gangetic plain since at least the 6th century BC — but under Chandragupta and his successors the coinage was systematized into a recognizable imperial type. The punches were applied sequentially by multiple officials, a process that served as a rudimentary authentication chain across a vast administrative territory described in detail by Kautilya's Arthashastra.
Mitchiner's ACW range 4090-4100 covers considerable chronological spread, and attribution to a specific reign within the dynasty remains difficult without die study and find-spot data.