Need Help With Tiny Copper Of Female Deity With Dagger From India

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,857
Seeker55 Pillar of the Community United States 634 Posts	Posted 03/20/2018 11:14 am This very small copper coin from India weighs 0.54 g and is oblong, 8.8 x 7.5 mm. Here's a better shot of the obverse The obverse looks like it has a seated female figure, perhaps a deity, with both arms upraised, holding a dagger in one hand and maybe a club, sceptre, or sword in the other. This coin was purchased in a lot that contained many coins a little smaller than this one. These smaller coins are about 0.35 g and 7 mm diameter, and have writing very similar to the female deity coin, but no figures. They have been successfully attributed to the Amirs of Sindh sultanate ca. 872-1024 AD (Habbarids, Mansara state, Hibari clan ruling from Mansur). Here are some examples of these similar smaller coins. There is some debate over whether these smaller coins are modern fakes, see https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=148352 In any case I suspect these two types of small coins may be related. Islamic coins generally don't put figures of gods or goddesses on coins, so I'm thinking the female deity may be Hindu. If it is from Sindh, it could be pre-Islamic, in other words maybe the Chuch of Alor dynasty in Sindh and Multan before the Islamic conquest ca. 872 AD. However, so far I don't find any similar listings online. Perhaps the female deity coin is a modern fake? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Edited by Seeker55 03/20/2018 12:22 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Finn235 Pillar of the Community United States 6130 Posts	Posted 03/20/2018 1:00 pm I've never seen the type before. I have a few coins of the Amirs of Sindh, but they are all silver, not bronze. The Islamic dynasties of India weren't as hardline against "graven images" as others; they made many types of "bull and horseman" jitals, and famously made a set of Zodiac rupees, featuring the astrological symbols. The figure reminds me of some Kasu coins from southern India, but those copper coins weren't that small, and never had Arabic as they were never fully subjugated. I honestly have no clue, although I suspect it may be a fantasy, especially if it was sold alongside a bunch of suspect coins. Report this Post to the Staff
Seeker55 Pillar of the Community United States 634 Posts	Posted 03/20/2018 2:12 pm Thanks for your thoughts. I am giving some thought to the authenticity of both types of coins. On the plus side, they're struck, not cast, and there are some that show greater wear. They're also not very valuable, so maybe not much worth a counterfeiter's time and effort compared to other coins. On the minus side, there are quite a few together, most in high grade, some with mint luster, which seems unlikely after such a long time, and the smaller ones are quite circular, while maybe more irregularity would be expected. Edited by Seeker55 03/20/2018 2:25 pm Report this Post to the Staff
echizento Moderator United States 23731 Posts	Posted 03/20/2018 2:44 pm I haven't seen this either. Report this Post to the Staff
Seeker55 Pillar of the Community United States 634 Posts	Posted 03/24/2018 8:46 pm Unfortunately it appears that both types of coins mentioned in this topic are modern fakes. I searched the Zeno database for India fake coins and there are several listings for these two types, for example at https://www.zeno.ru/showphoto.php?photo=70247. Report this Post to the Staff
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