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Copper Karshapana
| Issuer | Uncertain Indian mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 500 BC - 200 BC |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| 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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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Irregular square copper flan bearing multiple punch-marked devices applied in the characteristic ancient Indian technique. The obverse displays a cluster of punched symbols across the field, including what appears to be a central avian or zoomorphic motif flanked by additional subsidiary marks, all executed with individual punches pressed into the flat surface. The coin exhibits a dark brown to olive-green patina consistent with prolonged burial, with areas of malachite encrustation visible across the field. The flan edges are rough and irregular, typical of hand-cut copper planchets of the period. No legend or inscription is present, the iconography being conveyed entirely through symbolic punch marks. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a comparatively plain, slightly granular copper surface with minimal working, consistent with the typical unfinished reverse treatment of punch-marked coinage of this period. A single punch-marked symbol is visible near the centre of the field, appearing as a crescent or lunate motif accompanied by a small subsidiary device, lightly impressed into the flan. The surface retains a dark grey to greenish patina with scattered areas of cuprite and malachite oxidation. The edges remain rough and unfinished, reflecting the hand-cut nature of the planchet. No inscriptions or legends are present on this face. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Rough |
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