The Shivlee Collection©

 

THE SHIVLEE COLLECTION

GUPTA DYNASTY HISTORY

CHANDRAGUPTA I COINS

Standard (Sceptre) Type

King&Queen on Couch Type

SAMUDRAGUPTA COINS

Standard (Sceptre)

Archer Type Coins

Lyrist Type Coins

Asvamedha Type Coins

Battle Axe Type Coins

King and Queen Type Coins

Tiger Slayer Type Coins

Silver Coins of Samudra

RAMAGUPTA COINS

COPPER COINS

KACHAGUPTA

KACHAGUPTA GOLD COINS

ASVAMEDHA COPPER COIN

CHANDRAGUPTA II COINS

CII ARCHER HALF DINARS

CII ARCHER CLASS I COINS

CII ARCHER CLASS II COINS

CII CHATTRA TYPE COINS

CII HORSEMAN TYPE COINS

CII KING & QUEEN TYPE

CII COUCH TYPE

CII LION SLAYER COINS

SILVER COINS

COPPER & LEAD COINS

KUMARAGUPTA I

K1 ARCHER TYPE COINS

K1 HORSEMAN TYPE COINS

K1 CHATTRA TYPE COINS

K1 ASVAMEDHA TYPE COIN

K1 KARTIKEYA TYPE COINS

K1 SWORDSMAN TYPE COIN

K1 TIGER SLAYER COINS

K1 LION SLAYER COINS

K1 ELEPHANT RIDER COINS

K1 GARUDA TYPE COINS

K1 Copper Coins

K1 Silver Coins

K1 Lead Coins

SKANDAGUPTA

SKANDA ARCHER COINS

SKANDA KING & LAKSHMI

SKANDA Silver Coins

SKANDA Lead Coins

PURUGUPTA COINS

CHANDRAGUPTA III

SAMUDRAGUPTA II

PRAKASADITYA COINS

NARASIMHAGUPTA BALADITYA

KUMARAGUPTA II COINS

BUDDHAGUPTA COINS

BUDDHAGUPTA ARCHER TYPE

BUDDHAGUPTA SILVER COINS

VISHNUGUPTA

JAYAGUPTA COINS

SAMACHAR DEVA GUPTA

POST-GUPTA COINAGE

RESEARCH:

BRAHMI SCRIPT

INSCRIPTIONS - INDIA

Maps Ancient India Kings

National Museum - GUPTA

Images -Gupta Nat Musm

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Books

Scholarships & Grants

SKANDAGUPTA (455-468 AD)


Archer Type

The Archer Type of Skandagupta shows the king facing left, Skanda under kings left arm.  Bow held at top with left hand, arrow in right hand. is divided into two varieties:

Variety A:

Obverse legend is possibly Jayati mahitalam (Skandaguptah) sudhanvi - 'The excellent archer Skandagupta conquers the earth'.  Weight is approx 8.5gms.  No long flowing sash or hunter or whip at kings waist.
   

Reverse legend -
Sri Skandagupta


Variety B:

Obverse legend to be fully deciphered - possibly Parahitakari raja jayati divam sri karamadityah -  Upagati metre - 'The king Karamaditya, the benefactor of others, wins the heaven.'  Weight is approx 9.3gms.   A long flowing sash is shown at kings waist on all coins of this variety.   Altekar referred to it as a "whip" while describing this effect on some of the coins of Chandragupta.

Reverse legend - Karamaditya

Variety A:  With reverse legend - Sri Skandagupta



Skandagupta Archer Type Var A coin
Skandagupta Archer Type Var A coin

8.52gm, 1.9cm



Variety B

9.07gm

Obverse Legend starting at 12 O'clock Parahitakari raja ....
Reverse Biruda: Karamadit 'ya' is missing


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Skandagupta coin
Skandagupta coin
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skandagupta coin reverse
skandagupta reverse coin
SKANDAGUPTA ARCHER TYPE FULL DINAR
SKANDAGUPTA ARCHER SILVER FULL DINAR




















Full dinar version in Silver !     6.4gms 19-20mm.

Gupta Kings are not known to have issued coins in Silver in the full dinar denomination.  This coin is the first of it's type of be discovered that was struck from a die used for striking full size gold dinars, but STRUCK IN SILVER metal. This specimen is in pure silver and shows signs of being struck from a die (vs. being a cast coin). 

It is possible that this coin was struck in silver using the gold dinar dies and gold plated to try to pass it off as a full gold dinar. 

                   Images and design copyright Shivlee Collection





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A comprehensive collection of rare gold coins from the Gupta Empire of India.