1 Masa

Obverse description	Log in to see details
Obverse script	Log in to see details
Obverse lettering	मा
Reverse description	The reverse features a recessed incuse square centrally placed within the field, enclosing a stylized four-petaled floral motif identified as the sandalwood flower (genus Santalum). The petals are rendered symmetrically within the incuse depression, creating a striking contrast between the sunken geometric border and the organic floral design. The execution is characteristic of medieval Indian punch-marked coinage, with the incuse square applied by a separate punch. The surrounding field is largely plain, with the irregular flan boundary typical of hammered issues of this era.
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	Log in to see details
Additional information	The masa was a unit of weight before it was ever a coin — rooted in the Sanskrit māṣa, a seed-weight measure used across South and Southeast Asian trade networks for centuries before any mint formalized it in silver. Whether the pieces attributed to this broad classification were struck by a single authority or represent accumulated issues from competing port polities along the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra remains genuinely contested among specialists. The HCM reference range covers a span of five centuries, which alone signals how much remains unresolved about attribution and sequencing.