History of Technology in India, Vol. I: From Antiquity to c. 1200 A.D. v1.c14.s3.2

v1.c14.s3.2

Among the most well produced die-struck series of specie of Ancient India we can include the coins (or at least many pieces) issued by the Indo-Greeks, Schtho-Parthians, Kuṣāṇas and Imperial Guptas. The appearance of two distinct devices or rather two distinct sets of cohesive devices of their coins and traces of double striking on blurred faces of some of these pieces suggest that the coins of these rulers were struck from two separate dies, used probably simultaneously. The method of die- struck coins of the Gupta and Pre-Gupta periods consisted mainly of gold, or silver, or copper or lead or billon (an alloy of silver with copper or tin), or potin (a compound of copper, lead, zinc and tin)⁹.