Lot 10

Ancient, Ayodhya, Gomati-Ghaghara River Valley (c. 6th-5th Century BC), Silver PMC, 5.12 gms, 14.43x27.64 mm, Obverse: Central/Main punches of ‘three loops around a central blob‘ and ‘wheel’, Reverse: Uniface, References # Hardaker, Non-Imperial Series, AY 2, pg. 115, Rajgor, Series # 82, pg. 186, very fine for the type, extremely rare.

This coinage was first known from a hoard of 50 coins, found in 1930s from a village in Ayodhya (U.P.). The hoard was purchased by Lucknow Museum. Later, some pieces were acquired by Bharat Kala Bhavan, Varanasi. The coins are very archaic, hot-struck, based on a single (no fractions known) heavy weight system and have two symbols (the 2nd symbol being smaller in size). This coinage has been tentatively associated with Ikshavaku dynasty of Ayodhya. This coinage is probably the earliest coinage of India (Lahiri – 1973). This series was a very short lived one and is therefore, one of the rarest in the entire punch marked series. The archaic manufacturing technique (which is un-matched with any contemporary series of punch marked coins) vouches for its antiquity.