Crude bust of king right / Lighted altar with a few steps, in Brahmi: Parama-bhagavata Sri Skandagupta Kramaditya. 12mm, 1.91 grams. Uncertain mint in Kathiawar. Todd/Fishman "The Silver Coinage of the Gupta Empire and Associated States in Western India" #G29; Mitchiner ACW 4869-4872. 

The silver coinage of the Gupta Empire is notoriously complex, with numerous issues bearing similar legends yet struck to varying standards of weight and metal content. In their recent work The Silver Coinage of the Gupta Empire and Associated States in Western India (2024), Todd and Fishman undertook a comprehensive reclassification of the series, bringing much-needed order to this challenging field of study. The present coin is attributed in accordance with the system set out in their catalogue.

Skandagupta (reigned c. 450–469 CE) was one of the last significant rulers of the Gupta Empire in India. He came to power during a turbulent period, likely after a succession struggle, and proved himself as both a strong military commander and an able administrator. Skandagupta is most remembered for repelling the invasions of the Huns (the Hunas), who began pressing into northwestern India during his reign. His inscriptions, such as those at Junagadh, portray him as a restorer of order who protected the empire from collapse. Despite his successes, the prolonged wars against the Hunas and internal difficulties drained the empire’s resources. Skandagupta’s reign marked both the last great military defense of the Guptas and the beginning of the empire’s gradual decline.