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1/4 Karshapana
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 321 BC - 150 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Five punch-marked symbols applied to the flat flan, comprising a combination of standard Mauryan imperial devices. Visible symbols include a sun symbol, a six-armed symbol, a human or animal figure, and additional geometric or symbolic devices arranged across the field. The punches are applied in the characteristic Mauryan manner, with each symbol individually struck and distributed across the irregular silver surface. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The karshapana system predates the Mauryan dynasty itself — these punch-marked coins circulated across the Indian subcontinent from at least the 5th century BC, and the Mauryas inherited and standardized a monetary tradition already generations old. Chandragupta Maurya's administration codified weight standards through the Arthashastra, Kautilya's treatise on statecraft, which specifies acceptable tolerances for silver punchmarks with a precision that suggests active enforcement rather than aspiration.
Authentication is genuinely difficult. The long production window and the absence of regnal dating mean most specimens cannot be assigned to a specific ruler or even century within the dynasty.