1 Dinar - Kanishka I

Kanishka I's gold dinars were struck at a moment when the Kushan Empire controlled the single most lucrative overland corridor on earth — the routes connecting Rome to China through Bactria and the Punjab. The weight standard, close to the Roman aureus, was almost certainly deliberate, facilitating exchange with western merchants who needed a familiar gold benchmark. Göbl 49 is one of the more common die groupings within Kanishka's substantial emission, yet individual specimens show considerable variation in fabric and centration owing to the hand-striking methods used at Kushan mints.