{"product_id":"silver-shatamana-gandhara-c-600-500-bc-india-first-indian-coin-issue-every-struck-11","title":"Silver shatamana, Gandhara (c.600-500 BC), India - FIRST Indian coin issue every struck!","description":"\u003cp\u003eMedium concave silver bar, struck with a 6-armed Gandharan symbol on each end. 38mm long, 11.42 grams. Rajgor 540-545 var.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese fascinating large coins, equal to about 3 karshapanas, are the most likely candidates to be the very first Indian coins ever struck. During the 6th century BC Gandhara was a subject of the Achaemenids, who probably introduced the native Gandharans to the idea of a struck coinage. The earliest Gandharan coins - shatamanas (=100 manas, also known as \"bent bars\"), were probably based on a Achaemenid siglos standard, since the average weight of these shatamanas equals to the weight of 2 sigloi. From Gandhara, the idea of struck, or punchmarked, coinage spread south and soon the punchmarked coins were produced in many other regions of northern and central India. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnconditionally guaranteed to be authentic.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NumisMallstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51330476638523,"sku":"x12332-61394","price":150.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0447\/1750\/6710\/files\/w61394.jpg?v=1781029964","url":"https:\/\/www.numismall.com\/products\/silver-shatamana-gandhara-c-600-500-bc-india-first-indian-coin-issue-every-struck-11","provider":"NumisMall","version":"1.0","type":"link"}