India, Ancient India, Elephant Copper Coin

These Billon Silver coins were minted between A.D.1022 and A.D.1135, making them between 900 and 1000 years old! They were created in India by those who fled the Islamic expansion and were based on Sassanian coins showing the side facing bust of the monarch on the obverse and a fire altar on the reverse. As time went by, they started to get less and less realistic as the reason for the designs were lost. This means that the coins we have from around 300 years later are very abstract! The stories of Sinbad the Sailor are based on the sea voyages that Arabic peoples made down across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon and these are the coins that the sailors would have found on their journeys. We offer you these Silver Billon coins called Gadhaiya Paisa that were the major trade coins of medieval India. The obverse shows a stylised head facing to the right with the reverse showing a fire altar made from abstract dots and lines.

Silver Drachm of Kamaragupta (414-455 AD), Gupta Dynasty, NW India. Good Very Fine condition.

Of the four Monarchs who ruled over India in the 20th Century, one of the hardest to find in nice copper or bronze coins is the last one, King George VI. Don’t forget he only came to the throne in 1937 and India became Independent in 1948. During that time there was a World War and people had something else to do than collect coins. We have a nice group of King George VI 1/4 Annas on offer. These are the largest of his bronze coins issued. The coins on offer also have the first head on them and this design was only issued for three years, the coins of 1940 are on offer. They are not easy to find, and are in Uncirculated condition with original lustre. You have the crowned bust of the Monarch on one side and the denomination and date on the other side.