History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c14.7

v1.c14.7

All these varieties of specie were struck with dies. So all of them can be broadly called die-struck coins. However, they lack the more sophisticated technique and appearance of regular die-struck pieces. Both sides (obverse and reverse) of most of the latter pieces appear to have been struck simultaneously with two dies (obverse and reverse dies). On the other hand, the archaic die-struck pieces bearing more than one symbol on at least one side seem to have been impressed with them by punches from different dies, all of them having not been struck simultaneously (even when impressed on one single occasion). Such pieces, which received more than one ‘punch’ should be strictly classed ‘punch-marked’. These as well as the others bearing not more than one ‘punch’ on one side may be loosely classed under the category of ‘archaic die-struck pieces’. There are indications that the coins displaying not more than one symbol or marked on one side were in circulation in *inter alia* the period of regular minting of ‘punch-marked’ pieces (Curiel and Schlumberger, 1953; Marshall, 1951; Mukherjee, 1977).