Maharaja yidiraja gurgamayasa ("Maharaja King of Khotan Gurgamoya"), horse standing right // 六銖銭 Liu Zhu Qian ("6-zhu coin"). 20mm, 5.09 grams. Group 6 in Joe Cribb, The Sino-Kharosthi Coins of Khotan, The Numismatic Chronicle, 144 (1984). SKU T1968-53047

This rare and obscure issue from Khotan (Hotan, located in modern Xinjiang) on the Silk Road was properly studied by Joe Cribb who published his findings in 1984. The name of the King given on these coins is Gurgamoa or Gurgamoya, who was probably the first of the Khotanese Kings to mint coins. The coins were bilingual, bearing Kharoshti and Chinese inscriptions, showing Silk Road's prominent connections to both the Indians and the Chinese. The coins were always poorly struck and crudely engraved, but remain very rare and difficult to find. A few examples in F+ condition recently sold at Album's auction for 1400-1600$ - this coin is larger and heavier than the most and is comparable or better than Album's coins.

This specimen was authenticated and graded by GBCA but was removed from the box. It is not completely cleaned, with some yellow-brown adhesions which can be cleaned off. We can mail the broken box with the identifying GBCA number at the buyer's request.