Question

Punch marked coins were made of_______?
A. Silver
B. Gold
C. Tin
D. Ivory

Answer 1

Hint: Punch marked coins are a type of early coinage in India, dating to between about the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.

Complete answer: The first coins in India may have been minted around the 6th century BC by the Mahajanpadas of the Indo-Gangetic plain. The coins of this period were punch-marked coins called Puranas, Karshapanas or Pana. Several of these coins had a similar symbol. For example, Saurashtra had a humped bull Dakshin Panchala had a Swastika, others like Magadha had several symbols. These coins were made of silver, had a standard weight but were irregular in shape. The irregular shape was made by cutting up silver bars and then making the correct weight by cutting the edges of the coin. Secondly, these coins lack any inscriptions written in contemporary languages and was always struck in silver. These unique characters make early Indian coins very different than their contemporaries in Greece. Many historians believe that the concept of coinage was introduced by Greeks in India. But unlike Indian punch-marked coins, Greek coins had inscriptions they were round in shape, were stamped on both sides and were minted using silver, electrum and gold too. Now historians are certain that the concept of coinage was invented in India independent of foreign influence which imparted the unique characteristics to these coins. These coins are mentioned in Manu, Panini and Buddhist Jataka stories and lasted three centuries longer in the south than the north. Thus, option A is the right choice.

Note: Following the fall of the Maurya Empire and the increased influence of the Indo-Greeks,punch-marked coins were replaced by cast die struck coins as visible in the Post Mauryan period.