Catalog
1 Karshapana
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 322 BC - 185 BC |
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| Value | 1 Karshapana |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square silver flan bearing multiple punch-marked symbols applied by individual dies across the field. A prominent sun symbol with radiating rays is visible in the upper register, accompanied by a six-armed symbol and additional geometric and zoomorphic devices typical of Mauryan imperial coinage. The punches are distributed across the flat field without a fixed compositional arrangement, reflecting the additive punch-marking technique characteristic of this series. The flan edges are uneven and roughly cut, consistent with hand-prepared silver blanks of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a largely plain, smooth silver field with a single central banker's mark or secondary punch, depicting a curvilinear symbol with a crescent-like form, applied by a smaller individual die. Scattered patination in green and brown tones is visible across the surface, consistent with ancient burial and long-term environmental exposure. The flat, unworked appearance of the reverse is characteristic of Mauryan punch-marked coinage, where the reverse received only incidental or banker's counter-marks rather than a full obverse die composition. |
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| Additional information |
The karshapana predates the Mauryan Empire itself — these punch-marked pieces were already circulating across the Gangetic plain well before Chandragupta Maurya consolidated power around 322 BC. What the Mauryas did was standardize the weight to the approximately 3.4g ratti-based system, bringing monetary uniformity across a subcontinent for the first time. Kautilya's Arthashastra, the period's administrative treatise, specifies assay procedures and penalties for debasing silver that suggest a surprisingly sophisticated mint oversight apparatus.
Attribution to specific Mauryan reigns remains genuinely difficult — the punches identify issuing authority by symbol, not by ruler name.