Lot 40-074. Myanmar (Burma), Pegu, Mons. Anonymous. ca. 5th century A.D. AR full unit. Rare.

Myanmar (Burma), Pegu, Mons. Anonymous. ca. 5th century A.D. AR full unit (25.1 mm, 9.66 g, 7 h). Sankh (conch shell) within circle of pellets / Yupa within Srivatsa temple; two pellets below. Wicks Class A; Mitchiner, South 518. gVF, bold strike. Rare.

The coin was originally attributed to the Kingdom of Hamsvati, 5th century AD and I can find virtually no information on this culture and have not come across the name before.

According to Robert S. Wicks (1992) The "Conch"; coins originate in high art and high purity silver coins with a tight minting weight of 9.4-10.1 grams with the majority (29) of the cataloged coins (36) from a hoard in Pegu. (Bago, Myanmar). All coins appeared slightly scyphate. Metallurgical analysis of the hoard yield near pure silver, 99.7% with only 0.27% copper.

The coin's obverse has an excellent representation of the conch, or Shankha the shell of a gastropod native to the Indian ocean and best described as a large predatory sea snail. The shell has been an important part of Buddhist and Hindu culture for as long as they have existed. It is often used as trumpet in both in ritual and in war. The trumpet is often played at festivals dedicated to Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. The conch's sound was thought to ward off evil spirits and blowing it daily was considered healthy for the respiratory system. In Hinduism the Conch is a symbol of Vishnu and of wealth, success and good fortune.

The distribution of the these early coins types is quite extensive and found along the coastlines of Bengal, Lower Burma, Thailand and a single specimen was reported found in a precious metal hoard in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) The majority of examples have been recovered in small hoards in Pegu, and are almost never found inland. The "Conch" coin became the prototype model for all coinage of the region in the first millennium AD. All of this suggests the Mon where an advanced seafaring trade culture existing south of the Pyu realm in Burma and later expanding and founding city states throughout southeast Asia.

It is recorded that when the Pyu were overrun by the Burmese and the Kingdom of Pagan (who didn't use coins) employed Pyu and Mon craftsman on civil service projects and architectural feats. The Mon endure to this day. (Cited with permission from: https://www.cointalk.com/threads/mon-large-predatory-bottom-feeder-ar-full-unit.264744/#post-2169693)

 

Estimate:

$  150.00

Final Price:

$ 90.00 (1 bid(s))
Approximately EUR 0.00 / GBP 0.00

$  ( bid(s))
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Bidding closed (Tuesday, 08 Sep 2015, 12:36:30)
Current time: Tuesday, November 19th, 11:36:31