Bust of Nahapāna right with collar showing, wearing a satrapal cap, Brahmi legend around RāJño KṣaHaRaTāSa KṣaTraPaSa NaHaPāNaSa ("Raja Kshaharāta Satrap Nahapāna") / Arrow pointing up left, thunderbolt right, Brahmi legend around RāJño KṣaHaRaTāSa KṣaTraPaSa NaHaPāNaSa ("Raja Kshaharāta Satrap Nahapāna"). 18mmx17mm, 5.43 grams. Issue from Pune or Junnar in Maharashtra. Jha/Rajgor - ; Mitchiner -.

 

These square lead coins were only recently discovered. They are not published in any books or articles as of 2012. The inscriptions were never previously read and this is the first time they are published. The inscriptions on these coins are always fragmentary. The image on the reverse is always weakly struck and is usually not legible.

The coins carry Brahmi inscriptions on both sides. These remarkable and rare coins are usually found in North-Western Maharashtra (reportedly in the Thane, Nashik and Pune districts), though stray finds from as far as Ujjain are known. They were probably minted in the ancient great cities of Maharashtra, Pune or Junnar, or possibly around the modern site of Bombay. The area was conquered by Nahapāna around the end of his reign from the Satavahanas, and high quality base coins in copper and lead were produced in the area by former Satavahana craftsmen, some imitating the Satavahana coins.

These lead coins are always worn, showing extensive use. Traces of the inscriptions are usually visible on obverse or the reverse, but I have never seen an example showing clear complete legends.

The legends are exclusively in Brahmi, which is not surprising since this area of Maharashtra lies far from the lands where Kharoshti was in common use. The inscription is the same on both sides, though the letter arrangement is slightly different on obverse than on the reverse.