Coin #1. Gupta Empire. AR drachm (2.0 g, 13 mm). Kumaragupta I (c.414- 455). Obverse: Stylized bust of king right, dotted border around. Reverse: Stylized Garuda bird in center, legend in Brahmi listing name and titles of the king. Mitchiner ACW 4843-4854. This coin: Purchased at Whitman Baltimore Coin Expo from Educational Coin Company, November 2024. Coin #2. Gupta Empire. AR fractional drachm? (0.55 g, 8 mm). Skandagupta (c.455-480), possibly unofficial or a later imitative issue. Obverse: Stylized bust right. Reverse: Stylized fire altar, partial and blundered Brahmi legend around. Mitchiner ACW 4872-4873. This coin: NBJ Auction 13, lot 229 (February 5, 2025). The Guptas were one of the most significant dynasties in the history of India, with their era sometimes regarded as one of the "Golden Ages" of India. The dynasty began with a local king named Gupta, who ruled c. 240-280 in a small region of northern India. His successors would expand their domain to include essentially all of northern India plus some other territory in eastern India. The Gupta empire was economically prosperous and traded extensively with neighboring regions. Art and literature flourished, and while Hinduism was followed by the kings, other religions were widely tolerated. Kumaragupta I, issuer of the first coin above, faced rebellion from a powerful tribe called the Pushyamitras, as well as early incursions by the Kidarites. He also founded Nalanda, a major Buddhist center of learning that continued to operate for nearly a thousand years. His son and successor Skandagupta faced further Kidarite incursions and lost some territory to them, and the empire began declining, eventually breaking up into several successor states and losing territory to neighboring kingdoms. The Guptas are best known numismatically for their extensive gold coinage, which often features highly artistic designs of various deities. Their silver coinage is much less spectacular, and almost seems an afterthought. The designs are closely modeled on the silver drachms of the Western Satraps (Kshatrapas), with the main differences coming in the choice of symbols on the reverse and, of course, the king names in the Brahmi inscriptions. I bought the Kumaragupta coin unattributed, from a bag of mixed and unattributed Gupta drachms at $12 each. I chose this one because it looked like much of the reverse inscription was potentially readable, and with some effort I was able to pick out Kumaragupta's name on the reverse. (Thanks to @Sulla80 who confirmed my reading of the inscription.) The second, much smaller coin was bought at auction attributed, and while the reverse symbol (altar) and overall crudeness do fit Skandagupta's coinage, the very small size (about a quarter the usual weight of Gupta drachms) and barely-present inscription are unusual. It is possible that this is an unofficial issue or a later imitation based on Skandagupta's coins; the question merits further research. Nevertheless, these are two interesting (and cheap compared to the gold coins!) relics of a major dynasty in Indian history, and well worth the price I paid. Please post your Gupta coins, or whatever else is related.
Western Kshatrapas: Rudrasimha I (178 - 197 A.D.) O: Head of king right. R. Chaitya (3-arched hill), river below, crescent moon and sun above, Brahmi legend around. 14.mm 2.0g
I have no idea whether these are genuine of modern fakes, but I bought them as Gupta issues. Kumaragupta: Skandragupta I, too, find the Gupta empire and civilization fascinating. Thanks for your post!
I have been informed by @Finn235 that my instinct that coin #2 might be an imitative later issue is correct. It was actually issued by the Huns in Sindh during the post-Gupta period, in imitation of the coinage of Skandagupta. And the object on the reverse is actually a trident of Shiva, not an altar. Guess this is a good reminder to always do yoru own research and don't trust auction descriptions too much.
