88 Rati - Hamsavati Kingdom

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Obverse script	Mon
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Reverse description	The reverse displays a large, boldly struck Pyu or Mon script character occupying the majority of the flan, rendered in high relief against a flat, unadorned field. The monogram-like symbol, consistent with early Mon syllabic script, is flanked by two raised curved elements resembling stylised wings or floral tendrils. The flan edge is irregular, as typical of hammered coinage of this period, with no border ornamentation.
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Additional information	The Hamsavati Kingdom, centered on the Mon city of Pegu in lower Burma, issued bent-bar silver coinage as part of a broader tradition of punchmarked and relic-deposit currency shared across early mainland Southeast Asia. These pieces functioned less as everyday transactional currency and more as ritual and prestige objects, frequently recovered from stupa deposits rather than occupation layers — which explains why specimens often survive in better condition than their age suggests. The rati weight standard links this piece to Indian metrology transmitted through Buddhist trade networks rather than any indigenous Burmese system.