Superb quality! Phase II silver drachm of Svami Rudrasena III Mahakshatrapa (348

Description

Bust of Rudrasena III right with collar showing, wearing a satrapal cap, date in Brahmi numerals behind bust (286 SE = 364 AD), corrupt Greek inscription / Crescent on a hill over a wavy line, crescent in the left field and sun in the right field, Brahmi inscription RaJna MaHaKsaTraPaSa SvaMi RuDraDaMaPuTraSa RaJna MaHaKsaTraPaSa SvaMi RuDraSeNaSa. 15mm, 2.1 grams. Rajgor "The Studies in the Coinage of the Western Kshatraps" # II coins dating to 286 SE (364 AD) are a mysterious gap lasting six years, coinage in the name of Rudrasena III reappeared in 280 SE (358 AD). The reverse inscriptions were kept intact, but this new coinage looked radically different from the coins struck in phase I (type 27.1a). The obverse bust showed a rounded and crude bust, the date was engraved very crudely and the reverse inscriptions were cursive and not always easy to read. The coins were struck on smaller and medium-sized flans, and the date is usually struck off flan, though the first two Brahmi numbers 200 and 80 are often clear. In 286 SE (364 AD) it seems that there was a concious attempt to improve the coinage suddenly, the coins became very common, the size of the flan was increased so much that the reverse inscription is often completely struck on the flan (something practically unseen on the Kshatrapa coins since the rule of Rudrasena II). Also, the style of the reverse inscription was greatly improved, and from the point on the reverse inscription wascarefully and legibly engraved. The depiction of the bust changed less drastically, but in 286 SE the bust became slightly less rounded and showed more sharper flowing features.