The Age of the Imperial Guptas c10.14

c10.14

The credit of the reform in the currency of Northern India, therefore, clearly belongs to Samudragupta. Like the currency reforms of Farīd-ud-dīn Sher Shāh the new currency of Northern India in the beginning of the 4th century A.D. brought about a purity in the metal. The later Great Kuṣāṇa currency, the coinage of the Little Kuṣāṇas and even that of the Scytho-Sassanians, were for the most part struck in impure gold. At times, gold coins can scarcely be recognised as such on account of the heavy admixture of baser metals.¹ Like the coinage of the Great Kuṣāṇas the coinage of Samudragupta is entirely in gold and copper. The gold predominates and very few copper coins of Samudragupta have been found. The author knows of only two copper coins discovered near Katwa in the Burdwan district of Bengal, which bear on the obverse a figure of Garuḍa on the top and the name Samudra in one line at the bottom, while the reverse is perfectly illegible.²