1 Drachm - Kanishka I

Kanishka I presided over the Kushan Empire at its territorial and cultural peak, controlling trade routes connecting Rome to China and sponsoring the Fourth Buddhist Council, traditionally dated to his reign. His bronze drachms circulated across a corridor stretching from Bactria into the Gangetic plain, passing through hands that handled Roman denarii and Han Chinese coin in the same markets.

The bronze fractions are considerably scarcer than his gold dinars, which dominated long-distance commerce. Most surviving examples show heavy wear consistent with intensive local use rather than mercantile hoarding.