Drachm - Later Gupta or Imitative

The later Gupta silver-copper issues represent a prolonged monetary debasement that tracked the empire's territorial fragmentation after Skandagupta's reign in the late 5th century. As Huna invasions destabilized the northwest and provincial governors asserted autonomy, central mint control dissolved — many of these small billon pieces were struck by successor kingdoms or local authorities imitating Gupta types they no longer had the political authority to issue legitimately. Attribution between "later Gupta" and "imitative" remains genuinely unresolved for most specimens.