Ancient; Eran city, c. 2nd century BC AE karshapana (8.86 Grams )

Description

Ancient; Eran city, c. 2nd century BC
AE karshapana (8.86 Grams )

Obverse: Five punches: elephant walking left, indradhvaja, 4-orbed Ujjain symbol, six-armed symbol and river
Reverse: Blank
Ref: Wilfried Pieper, Ancient Indian Coins Revisited, 464

The Eran-Vidisha region is the source of a distinctive series of punchmarked copper coins. This attractive coinage of eastern Malwa developed after the collapse of the Mauryan empire when political control devolved to local rulers.

There are usually 4-5 different punches on an Eran coin, with a blank reverse. This specimen is the five punch ‘elephant type “SAVE HERITAGE SAVE COINS”