Early Spalapati Deva AR Pre-Reform Jital, Bilingual Type (Tye 3)

Spotted this one in a small lot from a UK seller. Won it super cheap, but had to pay nearly as much in shipping.

Afghanistan, Hindu Shahis
C. 750-800 AD
AR Drachm/Jital (3.82g)
Horseman standing right, Bactrian (or some say cursive Brahmi) "Shahi Deva"
Nandi reclining, Sri SpaLaPaTi DeVa above (Honorable Chief Commander)
Tye 3




Long subservient to the dynasties of central Asia, the Hindu Shahis overthrew their Turk overlords in about 750 AD to establish a kingdom for themselves. Unlike the tradition of the region, they stopped making Sassanian-imitation drachms and opted for a more compact and sturdy coin with an unambiguously Shaivite iconography. Two early iterations (Tye 1-2) maintained the 4.2g Attic drachm weight standard, with Tye 3 coming in between 4.2-3.8g. Soon after, the Bactrian before the horseman was replaced by an abstract scribbly line, and the weight reduced to the standard jital Wright of 3.4g, ostensibly to facilitate trade with the Arabs. The Muslim invasions commenced in the 9th century and were completed by the beginning of the 11th century, although exact dates are mostly conjecture. The Muslims continued to use the Bull & Horseman template until the 14th or 15th centuries.