The Age of the Imperial Guptas c10.121

c10.121

One other class of the silver coinage of Kumāragupta I proves the great financial stress on the Gupta Imperial treasury. These are silver-plated copper coins of the Valabhi fabric, proving that at Valabhi or in Kathiawad coins of the first class had to be minted on little pieces of copper covered with silver-plate during the reign of Kumāragupta I owing to the scarcity of silver. These coins show traces of the degenerate Greek legend on the obverse and Garuḍa on the reverse, the surrounding legend being *Parama-bhāgavata-rājādhirāja-Śrī-Kumāragupta-Mahendrādityaḥ*. The copper coins of Kumāragupta I are very rare and Allan divides them into two classes. In the first one we see the king standing towards the left with Garuḍa on the reverse. The reverse legend is *Kumāraguptaḥ*. In the second type of the copper coins we see an altar on the obverse below which is the letter *Śrī-Ku* and the figure of the seated goddess on the reverse.