Lot 1

Ancient, Archaic Punch Marked Coinage in Gold, Suvarna Mashaka, 0.12 gms, 4.98 mm, The object offered for sale looks like 2nd -3rd century BC coin called as as Suvarna mashaka by late Mauryan ministers. Ref : first time brought to light by Dr. Prashant Kulkarni in his paper Earliest Gold Coins from India and Baktria, Numismatic Digest Vol 40, IIRNS, 2016, pp.29-46,  Silver punch marked coins of very low denominations (mashaka weight standard) are encountered, albeit in very few numbers and many a time, with Mauryan Punch marked coins of karshanapan weight standard. Present coin is a gold punch-marked ( Suvarna Mashaka ) coin of 2 Kakini weight standard (1/2 Mashaka *), The coin was reportedly procured from a place south of Gaya in Bihar. Suvarna Mashaka finds its mentions in the Buddhist texts Udaya jataka, Ref: Earliest Gold Coins from India and Baktria, Numismatic Digest Vol 40, IIRNS, 2016, pp.29-46. By Dr. Prashant Kulkarni, Ref: Rajgor Dilip, Punch-marked Coins of Early Historic India, 2001, pp.9, Gupta PL & Hardaker TR, Punchmarked Coinage of the Indian Subcontinent (Magadha-Mauryan Series), 2014, pp.267, extra fine, extremely rare.