Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1 Karshapana - Kumbha Satarkani
| Issuer | Satavahana Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 230-250 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| 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 |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Elephant standing to right with trunk raised, rendered in bold relief typical of late Satavahana potin coinage. The body of the elephant is depicted in a schematic, stylised manner with prominent rounded haunches and a curving trunk. A Brahmi legend appears above the elephant in the upper field, reading 'Kumbha', identifying the issuing ruler. The flan is irregularly shaped with a roughly granular surface characteristic of cast potin fabric. The overall design, though struck on a crude flan, retains clear iconographic intent consistent with Satavahana dynastic imagery. |
|---|---|
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (230-250) |
| Additional information |
The Satavahana dynasty issued potin coinage — an alloy of copper, lead, and tin — as a practical response to metal scarcity in the Deccan, where silver deposits were limited and trade still demanded small-denomination exchange. Kumbha Satarkani's precise position within the dynastic sequence remains debated among scholars, complicated by the fragmentary nature of Puranic king lists and the absence of dated inscriptions on most Satavahana issues.
Attribution of individual rulers to specific coin types in this period relies heavily on punch mark analysis and stratigraphic findspot data from sites like Nevasa and Ter.