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The
Kushan Empire covered
much what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and
Northern India from about the first to the third century AD.
They grew wealthy controlling trade centers on the Silk Road and on the
Indus River and incorporated elements of the Greek, Roman, Chinese,
Persian, Indian and other cultures into their lives. Their
coins incorporate Greek designs and often use a corrupted Greek
alphabet in the legends. Kujula Kadphises united a loose confederation
of tribes to form the Kushan Empire in about 30AD. He further
expanded the Empire until his death in 80AD. This bronze
tetradrachm
of Kujula Kadphises features a 
Greek
style diademed head on
the obverse
and Hercules with a club or another Greek deity on the
reverse. The coin grades Good to Fine. We also have
well made bronze Tetradrachms of Kushan king “Soter Megas”.
The
title “Soter Megas” means Great Savior. The coin,
which grades VG to Fine, shows the Greek style diademed bust of the
king on one side, and the king on horseback on the other. The
king thought of himself as being so great, he did not need to put his
actual name on the coin. Until quite recently however,
scholars did not know who really was! It is now believed that
he is Vima Takha who succeeded Kujula 
Kadphises, ruling from 80AD to
105AD. He expanded his empire into what is now
Pakistan. We also have a number of worn, unidentified Kushan
thick bronze Tetradrachms and bronze Drachms I
don’t have the time to work these up. Most coins
feature the king standing on one side and a Greek, Indian or other
deity on the other. The unidentified coins date from about
105 to 225AD and grade Poor to Good.
This
medieval silver Drachm is the only coin issued by the Maitrakas of
Valabhi. Senepati Bhatarka, a General in the Gupta army, took
advantage of the weakening Gupta Empire. In 470 AD he set up an
independent kingdom in Saurashtra, located on the Arabian Sea in
western India. His capital city of Valabhi (now Vala) became
a major center for both religious and secular studies. Though Maitrakas
dynasty ruled for nearly 300 years, their coins remained
unchanged. The coins, modeled after the Gupta Drachm, have a
crude bust of Senepati Bhatarka on the front and a legend and a trident
on the reverse. The crudely made coins are about 10mm in
diameter and are often struck partially off-center. It is a
remarkably affordable medieval silver coin. 
With the closing of vital
trade routes due to the Mongol
invasion of Afghanistan,
this remote
Himalayan town in India developed into a major trading center in the
13th Century, supplying horses to Northern India. These small
(12mm) copper Jitals of Kangra are well struck, however are very
crudely engraved. The design, based on coins that had been in
use for centuries, features a very crude Brahma Bull on one side, and a
horseman on the other. The coins were made from about 1220 to
1300 AD.
This
billon (highly debased silver) jital was struck by Nasir al din
Mohammed
who ruled Sind from 1249 to 1260AD. Sind is located in
south-eastern
Pakistan. Sind was once the center of the ancient Indus Valley
civilizations.
At the time the coin was struck, it was on the edges of competing
empires,
so was able to re-establish its own independence.
The coin
is highly unusual for the period in that it has a clear pictorial
design featuring a horse. Some theorize that this signifies the
resurgence in the trade of war horses that had thrived in the
area in earlier years before the invasion of Ghenghiz Khan. 
‘Ala
al-din (Alauddin) Mohammed II Khaljis was the favorite nephew of
Sultan Firoz II. To repay his Uncle’s kindness, he murdered
his Uncle and his son in order to claim the throne of the Delhi Sultans
of India in 1296AD. He plundered the wealth of his nobles and
conquered neighboring territories. He ruthlessly turned back
repeated Mongol invasions, saving India from Mongol
domination. This billon (debased silver) Jital (2
Gani) was issued between 1296 and 1316AD.
Muhammad
III bin Tughluq ruled much of India from 1325 to
1351AD. He was a scholar, calligrapher and an
innovative monarch. Unfortunately he did not always
consider the consequences of his innovations. Vast amounts of his
treasury was spent trying to expand and consolidate his
realm. This only encouraged numerous revolts throughout his
realm. He forcibly moved his entire capital and all its inhabitants
from Delhi to a more central location in the Deccan of central
India. Unfortunately there was insufficient water
to support the population, and the capital was returned to Delhi two
years later, with great suffering and loss of life of the
citizens. About 1330AD he tried to replace the silver Tanka
with this brass Tanka, in an effort to boost his
treasury. The brass Tanka has beautiful calligraphy
on both sides, with legends to encourage its citizens to accept the
debased currency. His unhappy citizens, forced to accept this token
coinage, soon started to counterfeit them in vast numbers.
Foreign traders would not accept the brass Tankas Within a
few years he was forced to return to the silver Tanka,
redeeming both real and fake brass Tankas at a great cost to
his treasury. It is reported that a “mountain” of these brass
Tankas remained lying outside the sultanate’s treasuries for over a
century. The coins grade Fine to Very Fine with some green
patina. 
This
copper 1 Punchashi (also called a Kaserah) was struck by Fath Shah, who
was took the throne of Kashmir in 1486. He repeatedly lost and regained
the throne over the years through seemingly endless battles and palace
intrigues, until he died in 1520. He paid his mercenaries by
allowing them to plunder his capital. Today Kashmir
is still a strife-filled land. Parts of it are controlled by
Pakistan, India and China, who have repeatedly gone to war to try to
enforce their claims.
HIGH-GRADE
1/12 ANNA OF EMPEROR GEORGE VISCARCE
KHATAU MILL CANTEEN TOKEN
The
Khatau Mill was a major fabric mill located in Bombay
(Mumbai). The family owned business founded in 1874 as a
cotton
mill, and expanded into other fabrics in the 1960's. In the
1990's became the center of
scandals, controversy, and a murder. As best as I can figure
out
the
murky story, the large plot of land the mill occupied was originally
leased, then purchased from the government at rates well below its
market value, thanks to some dirty politics. The government also was
kind enough to remove restrictions on the use of the land.
Upon
purchasing the land the owner, Sunit Khatau, attempted to
close down the mill and to sell the land to developers. In
1994 the owner was gunned down while in his car in broad daylight by
organized crime, who wanted in on the deal. The closing of the mill and
sale of the land continued anyway and some 6000 workers were laid
off. However it took 10 years of court cases before the
workers were finally paid what they were due. The undated 20mm round,
brass token with a center hole has the inscription "THE KHATAU MILLS"
on one side and "CANTEEN TOKEN" on the other and grades Very
Fine. The token does not have a value, so I assume it was good for a
meal. It is a rarely seen token from a scandal-rocked Bombay
cotton mill.
INDIA
CELEBRATES THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES 
India
celebrated its hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi
with these commemorative 2 and 5 Rupee coins. One side features
the logo of the Games, the other features the features three lions from
the Pillar of Asoka. The games drew 6,081 athletes from 71
Commonwealth nations and dependencies competing in 272 events, making
it the largest Commonwealth Games ever. It was also the most
expensive costing over $2 billion, substantially above its original
budget of $307 million. Despite apprehension in the weeks leading
up to the game due slow pace in completing the facilities the Games
were well received and closed on a positive noteNEW
2011 COINS FROM INDIA 
This crudely made
brass tokens pictures the Gods Rama and Laksmana standing on one side
of the coin. The other side shows Rama and Sita seated on a throne,
along the monkey god Hanuman. The tokens have a false date, making some
believe they are quite old. They were made during the 20th
century and sold in Hindu temples throughout India. 
The tiny
Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is called the “Dragon
Kingdom”. It was established as a priestly monarchy in
1652. For many years it used coins from nearby the nearby
Indian state of Cooch Behar. It started to strike its own
coins about 1790, after the British East India Company closed the Cooch
Behar mint. The undated coins, denominated as Deb (1/2)
Rupees, were originally good silver; however by about 1840 the coins
became heavily alloyed with copper. The copper Deb Rupees
continued to be struck until about 1910. The Deb Rupee was the only
denomination struck by Bhutan until the 20th century. Though the basic
design remained unchanged, there are numerous varieties, making a
fascinating collecting area. AFGHANISTAN
COIN & CURRENCY PAGESRI LANKA COIN SET
INCLUDES NEW ISSUES & BIMETALTABLE OF
CONTENTS FOR THE INTERESTING STUFF CATALOG
INDEX OF
COINS AND BANKNOTES IN THE INTERESTING STUFF CATALOGSECURE
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