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.

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. 

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.

How Coins India reduced my stress levels!

Sometimes, there are moments in life that make us feel down. Stagnation creeps in and there is nothing as such to look forward to. All we desire are ways in which we can stay relaxed and bring back that smile on our face. Pursuing an interesting hobby is extremely satisfying which helps us channelize our energies into something that keeps us excited. Other activities like watching movies, working out at a gym, listening to movies or playing a sport can also release that tension. I somehow got hooked on to collecting Coins India. And there is a story behind how I got inclined towards collecting Indian coins. 

I must confess that I was always stressed before I started collecting coins in India. Work pressure, family responsibilities were some of the reasons behind this mounting stress levels. I did not pay attention to this in the beginning, but later I started feeling lethargic and my energy levels started declining. I went to a doctor and found out that I had a blood pressure problem. I was only 35 and I felt that there is something seriously wrong with me. Though those were just initial days, I did not want situations to go out of control. I wanted to start a hobby and started wondering what I was always interested in as a kid. Then it struck me that history was a subject that I totally loved in school. I joined the dots and realised that I should start collecting Coins India. I immediately joined various facebook groups that are into Coins India and upgrading my knowledge. I looked around, but I could not find anybody among my friends or family members who are into Indian coins. So I did not wait. I made a few facebook friends randomly and met a few of them as well.

There was no looking back from there. I kept on researching about coins India and making more online friends. Slowly but steadily I started growing my collection of coins in India. If you truly want to do something, there is nothing that can stop you really. Also, my stress levels have gone down considerably and my BP is also under control.

Coins Of India that Trace Through Our Vibrant Past

India is a unique country that is known all over the world for several reasons. Some of them include the geography and topography of the subcontinent. Since India has a mix of mountains, plateaus and plains, you would find a difference in the kind of communities that have evolved in this part of the world. If you look at the history of India, you would come to know about several invasions and battles. This is a reason why you will see multiple cultures existing in harmony. No wonder why people from all over the world flock down to experience the true colors of India. Imagine a how different Coins Of India would be with so much cultural diversity around. Indian coins are picking up like crazy in the international markets. Collectors at first were not too keen to collect Indian coins because of their irregular sizes and unknown history. But over the recent past, auction trends have spotted favoritism for ancient coins of India. 

Some experts believe that Indian coins are the first ones to be ever struck in the world. These coins of India were called punch-marked coins. From ancient India until now, thousands of coins have been issued in India. Many of which have not yet been discovered. It is through the study of Indian coins that dynasties of various empires have been identified. If it wasn’t for these coins, there was no way how history can be studied so accurately. When ancient coins are discovered, they are put through a dating process which helps in finding out an approximate year in which they were minted. Besides that, many coins of India that were issued in the medieval period featured the year apart from the name of the emperor. 

With the help of coinage, historians have been able to trace through the rich history of India. If you take a journey through our vibrant past, anyone would be fascinated.