Let’s Dive Into the Amazing History of Ancient Coins in India

Ancient Coins in India are one of the earliest known issued coins on the planet, alongside the Chinese and Lydians. The oldest coin of India was punch-marked coins that were called Puranas, Karshapanas, or Pana. They were printed in the sixth century BC by the Mahajanapadas of old India. They were printed in the sixth century BC by the Mahajanapadas of old India, including Gandhara, Kuntala, Kuru, Panchala, Shakya, Surasena, and Saurashtra. These Coins from India were made of silver of a standard weight however with a sporadic shape. This was picked up by cutting up silver bars and after that creation of the right weight was done by cutting the edges of the coin.

The one of oldest of the Coins in India is the bent-bar of Satamana that is unusually shaped. It is accepted to have been given by the Kuru and Panchala domains in north-focal India between 450BC and 350BC. The thick, somewhat bowed billon (poor quality silver) is roughly 22 to 24mm long, 11 to 14mm wide and about 3mm thick. A rough seven-outfitted "Taxila" image is on either end on the curved side of the bar, the raised side is clear. The coins are designed according to the silver Taxila and Gandhara bowed bar coins utilized in what is currently Pakistan. It is an intriguing and reasonable case of an early Indian coin.

There are more rare coins of India. Some of the few rare coin in India are –

• The Vimshatika coin from the Magadha Janapada dynasty. This is a very rare coin minted with the punching mark technique. Its theme is Abstract, Six-Armed Symbol, and Sun, which is also, features on the obverse on the coin.

• The 5 Shan coin of the Kashi Janapada is another rare coin. It was also punched marked coin with four punches. The theme and obverse of the coin has two abstract symbols and two flowers.

• The 4 Shanas or the 1/2 Shatamana from the Ayodhya Janapada dynasty has also received the very rare coin status. This irregular shaped coin has a floral theme. The obverse side of coin has a dot in the center with 'C' shaped symbol arranged in a triangle with a white flower with a dark circle.

To know more about antique coin of India visit the website of Mintage World. Here you can read and explore the amazing coinage of India.

Coins of India that Everyone Desire

 “Coins of India” is a topic that is discussed widely among numismatists all over the world. The reason why they are so popular is because of the historical stories that they hold. Based on the time period, these amazing Indian coins can be categorized into four major categories namely, Ancient, Medieval, Colonial and Modern. Let’s take a look at some examples from each category.
Gandhara Janapada existed from 600 BC to 300 BC. They issued rectangular-shaped punch-marked coins of the denomination 1 Shatamana. These coins of India were struck on around 11.5 grams of silver and featured two 6-petal flowers at both the ends. These coins are also considered as the oldest in the world.

Magadha Janapada existed from 600 BC to 550 BC. They issued silver coins of the denomination Vimshatika weighing somewhere around 5.5 grams. These punch-marked coins feature Six-armed symbol, Sun symbol and two abstract symbols on the reverse.  If you are looking for a rare Indian coin, then you could add one of these to your collection. The Kashi Janapada issued punch-marked silver coins of the denomination 5 Shanas between 600 BC and 525 BC. These rare Indian coins featured two abstract symbols and two flowers. 
When it comes to medieval period coins of India, you can look for octagonal-shaped Ahom coins issued under Jayadhvaja Simha. They were denominated as rupee and were struck in the year 1570.  The Obverse featured the text Sri Sri Hari Hara Charana Parayanasya while the Reverse depicted the text Sri Sri Svarga Naraya Nasya Sake 1570. These are extremely rare coins in India which are very difficult to find.
Then there is the round Hon gold coin issued under Shivaji Maharaj the great. The obverse features
This is just the beginning; there are several other amazing Indian coins that can make your collection out of this world!

the text Shri Raja Shiva while the reverse depicts the inscription Chhatrapati. Won’t it be an honour to own coins issued by one of the greatest warriors of Indian history? You can also search for beautiful coins from the Paramaras of Malwa dynasty issued under the ruler Udayaditya. This Gold Dinar weighed around 4.07. The obverse featured Goddess Lakshmi seated with cross legs. The reverse depicted the Nagari legend 'Srimad Gangeyyadeva'.

When you’re collecting Coins of India, Study the Evolution of Coinage

Everybody loves collecting coins of India but many of them do not really know how coinage evolved over the years in the Indian subcontinent. If you are a true numismatist, you will take some efforts to understand this aspect about Indian coins. It all started when cowrie shells and beads were used for transactions. Barter system was prevalent before coinage was invented. Barter had its own problems related to evaluating commodities. There was a need for a uniform system that could value all kinds of items for transactions. It is believed that the first coins of India were punchmarked Shatmana coins. They were struck in silver and were rectangular in shape. They belong to Gandhara Janapada and were issued between 600 t0 300 BC.

There were many other Janapadas out there which used to issue coins of their own. These include Magadha, Magadha Mauryan, Ayodhya, Shakya, Kuntala, Kashi etc. You should consider yourself to be lucky if you have an Indian coin belonging to one of these Janapadas. Then there were great ancient empires like Western Kshatrapas, Guptas, Satavahanas etc which also issued some absolutely stunning Indian coins. Gold coins of Gupta period are sought after even today and are sold for great prices at auction houses all over the world.

When it comes to ancient and early medieval kingdoms, Central India, Malwa, Saurashtra, Vidarbha, Narmada valley are some of the prominent territories which issued unique coins in India. Ancient coins of South India is a completely different category altogether. The most famous among them are Pandyas, Banawasi, Pallavas, Chera etc. The Indian subcontinent was attacked by foreign invaders too since ancient times. They captured territories and started ruling over them. Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythian and Kushan coins are also some of the most desired coins of India in the world of numismatics. Apart from mighty Kingdoms, there were independent city states as well like Mathura, Kolhapur, Ayodhya, Taxila etc. Each of these city states also produced unique Indian coins of their own.

We have only touched upon ancient coins as of now. There is a lot more to explore when it comes to medieval and modern coins of India. You will start falling in love with all of them when you start studying about the evolution of Indian coinage. 

Make Your Kids Fall in Love with Coins of India

Certain things age gracefully with time. No, I am not talking about my grandmother. I am referring to my collection of old Indian coins. With every passing year, they seemingly become more precious. You will be surprised to know how many centuries these beautiful coins of India have lived through after which they have fallen into my hands. I consider myself to be lucky that way. It truly becomes your responsibility to take care of these pieces of history and pass on your hobby to the next generation. It is sometimes difficult to make kids realize the importance of history, especially when they are sucked into their video games and cartoon series. But you must not give up. Find other interesting ways in which kids can be taught about coins in India along with the interesting stories hidden in them.

Stories are something kids would always be interested in. We as parents have to be as creative as possible so that they learn certain important aspects about our history from time to time. You can then show them an interesting Indian coin from your collection. This way, they would be able to relate to what they are studying. Mugging up answers from history textbooks can be taxing not just for kids but for adults as well. Introduce them to the hobby of coin collecting and motivate them to start building their own collection of Indian coins. Once they add a new Indian coin to their collection, you can discuss in detail about the emperor or dynasty who issued them. For example, if they get to see a Gupta Era coin, then you can teach them about Samudra Gupta, Art and Architecture of that era, Literature and scholars from that time period etc.

People generally do not assess the seriousness of this problem carefully. As Indians are quickly adopting western cultures, our rich heritage and tradition face a real big danger of getting extinct one day. It is very important to revive the history of our land so that the present generation starts valuing it. By studying coins of India, children would start taking keen interest in history which will indirectly help us achieve this goal.

Find Unity in Diversity on Indian Coin

India is known for its Unity in Diversity. From languages to culture and tradition, India is a world in itself. That is the reason why foreigners from all over the world visit India time and again. We being Indians don’t really have an idea about the diverse traditions that are followed in different parts of the subcontinent. Apart from culture, each region has a unique historical significance. Each territory was ruled by various dynasties and emperors. Coins of India are a reflection of our vast history. By collecting coins in India, you can get a clear overview about the various dynasties that ruled the subcontinent.

Mintage World has a detailed and elaborate database on coins of India. The website offers images along with complete obverse and reverse descriptions that help researchers, numismatists and coin collectors in a great way. The information displayed is well-categorized, making browsing extremely simple. All you have to do is select a dynasty and keep searching for your favorite Indian coin. Knowledge is essential for every coin collector, and this website is where you will find everything you ever wanted to know about coins of India, under one single roof, on a single online platform. You wouldn’t have to visit multiple websites and check for authenticity when you are conducting your research here.

I believe that every Indian should be aware about our diverse cultures and rich historical traditions. Through the study of Indian coin you can get several interesting insights. Historians have been researching on Indian coins which allow them to take a scientific approach towards history. The inscriptions and beautiful designs found on ancient coins in India talk a lot about that particular era or that particular king. Even students and the youth should be introduced to the hobby of collecting Indian coins to a dash of fun while studying history. Start collecting Indian coin to understand about the diverse aspects of Indian history like never before.

My world of Old Indian Coins

There are times in life when you feel that everything has come to a standstill. You need something to cling on to, something to immerse yourself into. Hobbies are excellent mediums through which you can forget everything about your worries almost instantly. As a kid, I was very shy boy and did not have any kind of liking for any particular thing as such. Like every other kid in my class, I had no idea what destiny had in store for me; in fact we never thought about destiny and simply went with the flow. We did almost everything that was told to us. I was introduced to the world of old Indian coins at the age of seven by my grandfather.

My grandfather also was a passionate collector of Old Indian Coins when he was young. He had some connections with friends who were also into this unique hobby. Over a period of time, he kept growing his collection. He once told me that he probably loved his collection of Indian coin more than his own wife. Even though he laughed out loud after that statement, his eyes told me that there was some amount of truth behind those words. We used to visit our native place every year during summer vacations. It was like every other vacation; the only difference this time being that Grandpa showed me his amazing collection of old coins India. I was lost, lost into a whole new world. There was no looking back. I spent that entire vacation talking to my grandfather understanding different aspects of all the old coins India that he had collected. Each one of them had an interesting story behind it. I never got tired of listening to them. I took a few ancient Indian coins from his collection back home. 

I shut myself inside my room and spent hours gazing at those beauties. There was something about these ancient Indian coins that make me smile even today. Probably, they remind me of my grandfather, probably they are special as they showed me a new ray of light every time I am feeling low.

Collecting Indian Coin is enjoyable and profitable at the same time!

You can never underestimate the value of anything in life. Nothing or nobody is small; everything has its own importance and value, which might be unnoticeable at the first sight. I learnt this when I started collecting Indian coins. When you look at coins in India, they might seem to be very small, but in reality they can fetch you a lot of money if they are rare. Coins in India were minted since ancient times. In fact one of the first coins in the world was Indian coin. Auctions all over the world have a lot of respect for Indian coin because of its rich historical background. Year after year we get to hear about coins in India that were sold for an impressive amount at auctions. 

Initially, when I started this hobby, I had no idea what was getting into. The moment I got hooked on to coins in India, I realized that there is an ocean out there to be explored. From a small copper coin of Akbar, I started my journey of collecting Indian coin. There was no looking back ever since then. At first, I used to buy anything and everything that I fancied. But later I realized that coins which are in a better condition and which are rarer are far more valuable in the market. Thereafter, I started controlling my emotions. I started saving up for coins of India that were rare to find. If not, I looked for Indian coin that are in a better condition. This way, I started improving the quality of my collection rather than focusing on plain quantity. Over a period of 2 years I had some notable Indian coin and then I decided to start my own dealership. I found out there are several collectors and investors who are interested in Indian coin. 

Out of my experience, I got to know that a coin that you own today can fetch you thousands in the future. So basically, the hobby is not just enjoyable but also highly profitable if you know how to play the game well.