Ancestor to the Indian paisa

Ancestor to the Indian paisa

29Jun 2021
Ever wonder why there was a demand for solid copper coins when silver punch-marked coins were already in circulation in ancient India? It’s the same reason we need the paisa, along with the rupee—for smaller-value, everyday transactions. The modern paisa’s counterpart in ancient times is what numismatists call early uninscribed cast copper (EUCC) coins. EUCC coins are one of the most common coins of ancient India and they came in many varieties. EUCC coins have been found almost all over the Indian subcontinent, especially in present-day Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. First issued around 500 BCE (during the era of the mahajanapadas) and circulated alongside silver punch-marked coins, they remained in circulation until around the 2nd Century CE, though their manufacturing had ceased much earlier, somewhere between the 1st…
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India’s Earliest Coins

India’s Earliest Coins

12Apr 2021
The 6th Century BCE was a remarkable period in the history of the Indian subcontinent. It witnessed the rise of the Mahajanapadas, the first-ever political states and cities on the Subcontinent. This, alongside a commodity surplus and the flourishing of trade, society, and art, paved the way for a complex economy. This then demanded a monetary system with a uniform, stable currency, and a robust authority to assign assurance marks on the coinage. The result was a piece of metal of sufficient purity and weight certified by the ruler of the territory. There’s a good chance these punch-marked coins were originally struck through guilds or private merchants, and later went under royal control. Hoards of silver punch-marked have been unearthed in a range of locations in northern India, from the…
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