Dated issue with "Varse 1xx" (420 AD ff), silver drachm of King Kumaragupta I (414-455 AD), Western provinces Garuda type, Gupta Empire
Bust of king right, "VaRse 1xx" (="year 1xx of the Gupta Era") in small Brahmi letter / Formalized Garuda standing facing with spread wings. In Brahmi:'Parama-bhagavata rajahiraja Sri Kumaragupta Mahendraditya'. The early Gupta drachmas were derived from the earlier coins of Kshatrapas (obverse was practically unchanged, while the mountain on reverse was replaced with the image of Garuda). 16mm, 1.75 grams. Extremely rare! John Allan #258-259.
Dated Gupta drachms are known, but they are extremely rare. Most Kumaragupta drachms either show a degraded Greek inscription on the reverse (HOHO) or no inscription at all. Coins inscribed "Varse..." are exceedingly rare. None of the known coins with the word "Varse" shows a complete date, but some coins show "90" after "Varse". This coin shows a number "100" (followed by another digit, probably 10). The Gupta era year 100 corresponds to 420 AD or 342 Saka era. This coin is historically important since it contributes to our knowledge of the date of the completion of the conquest of the Kshatrapas by the Guptas.
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Allan, BMC 306 -310 - Class II, Var a - Garuda Reverse
