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Silver Karshapana Series Va
| Issuer | Mauryan Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 320 BC - 270 BC |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Obverse struck by multiple individual punches applied directly to a flat silver planchet, displaying the characteristic five primary symbols of the Mauryan Imperial series. The field bears a sun symbol with radiating rays in the lower left, accompanied by a six-armed symbol (the Mauryan imperial mark) prominently positioned at center, along with additional secondary banker's marks and geometric punch devices distributed across the surface. Three small hill or taurine symbols appear at upper right, and a stylized elephant or animal figure occupies the upper left field. The punched devices show crisp, well-defined impressions typical of the early Mauryan period, applied with controlled force on the irregular rectangular flan. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The Mauryan karshapana was among the earliest punch-marked coinage of the Indian subcontinent, and Series Va falls within the period bracketing Chandragupta Maurya's consolidation of the empire and the early reign of Bindusara. These were not minted in the Western sense — blanks were cut from sheet silver and individually punched with multiple dies by different hands, meaning no two are strictly identical. Weight standardization was enforced through the shreni system of merchant guilds rather than royal mint oversight.