TuckHard

6 hours Bhillamala (Bhinmal) of North IndiaJain Merchants of the Gadhaiya gotrac. 1100 to 1250 ADIssued anonymously and privatelyBI paisa | 4.28 grams | 16.5mm wide | 3.1mm thickObv: King's bust right, highly stylized, with eye line remnants, lips, various dots and lines surroundingRev: Fire altar center, highly stylized, with a star center, above (mostly off-flan) a crescent moonRef: Finn #1.4.5, Z#312741, attributed by Deyell (2017) A Fresh Look at Dehliwalas (pg. 120) Next: more private merchant money, jetons, anything but an official state coin

Here's an updated pic of a coin I shared recently. The blue patina on this coin is much more evident now! Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt180 to 145 BCAE chalkon | 8.67 grams | 20.1mm wide | 4.0mm thickObv: Zeus-Ammon rightRev: Two eagles standing leftRef: Svoronos #1426, Z#312310 Next: more Zeus

6 hours, so here's a coin I bought recently. I really liked the blue patina on it, and it was a fair price for a common coin. Northern Song Dynasty of China1023-1032 ADIssued under Emperor RenzongAE cash | 3.91 grams | 25.0mm wide | 1.6mm thickObv: Tian Sheng Yuan Bao in regular scriptRev: Blank, although patina shows crust line of neighboring coin from their hoard Ref: Hartill #16.76, Gorny's NS#10.07, Z#312636 Next: another crusty coin

Barbarous Gaulc. 260s to 280s ADIssued anonymously copying Claudius IIAE | 1.15 grams | 11x13mm wideObv: Radiate bust rightRev: Crude altar with pseudoscript outside Next: more France-origin, anything pre-1800

6 hours, the reverse of your coin reminded me of this sandalwood motif used in the island kingdoms of the Maritime Silk Road. Kingdoms of East Java (Mataram to Majapahit Period)c. 930 to 1300 ADIssued anonymouslyAR atak | 1.2 gramsObv: Incuse square with sandalwood motifRev: Nagari script Ma character Next: another post-300 AD anonymous silver coin (no specific ruler known)

Late Hoysalas or Vijayanagar of South India1300s-1600s ADIssued anonymouslyAV fanam | 0.39 grams | 8mm wideObv: Stylized boar facing right, so-called double plough styleRev: Stylized lion facing right, crescent aboveRef: Z#278264, cf. Herrli #1.29 or 1.30 Next: same theme, boar or pig

This nice little bronze coin has a bull and lion, and about nothing else clear. Indo-Scythian Kingdom c. 35 BC to 5 ADIssued under Azes IIAE chalkous | 2.27 grams | 16.2mm wide | 2.3mm thickObv: Humped bull right, above monogram, Greek legend BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY AZOYRev: Lion right, above monogram, Kharoshthi legend Maharajasa rajadhirajasa mahatasa AyasaRef: Z#312343 Next: bull or lion

6 hours Republic of Venice c. late 1200s to early 1300s ADAR grosso clipped to denaro weight | 1.08 grams | 14.5mm wide | 0.5mm thick Next: post-mint alterations of a coin

6 hours so I'll play my 'cheat' here, the longest piece of this group of barter money is over 80mm, so well beyond the 35mm request. The diameter part might be more like "length", though. These are unstandardized tin ingots, called locally "tin barter" or some variant, which used the three clasps to pinch around a string or cord to carry in bulk. They were used in the port city of Palembang, capital of the Srivijaya, although the money was surely privately minted. A large hoard of them, 130 pieces, were found amongst the Intan Shipwreck which was on its passage between Palembang and a Javanese port, most likely. One of the Intan specimens was XRF tested and found to be a mixed alloy of tin (54%) and lead (46%). Anyways, here's my group of five pieces that I bought from Scott Semans. The longest center piece is the one which I measured below. Srivijaya period of Sumatra c. 900s AD Issued anonymously and privately, most likelyTin barter ingot | 30.20 grams | 80.6mm long | 13.5mm tall | 8.4mm thick Ex. Scott Semans Next: more proto-money, odd shaped coins, or other oddity

Kushan Empire c. 55 to 100 AD Issued under Vima Takto in the alias Soter MegasAE tetradrachm | 7.82 grams | 20.4mm wide | 3.6mm thickObv: Diademed bust right, rays emitting from head, holding a scepterRev: King on horseback right, holding a sword, surrounding Greek legend BACIΛEV BACIΛEVWN CWTHP MEΓACRef: Z#312345 Next: same theme, another tetradrachm

Kushano-Sassanian Kingdom c. 290 to 330 AD Issued under Hormizd I Kushanshah Gandhara MintAE drachm | 3.43 grams | 17mm wideObv: Bust rightRev: Fire altar center, Gondopharan symbol center Next: more Kushano-Sassanian, Kushan, Sassanian, or anything derivative

This one is hard to photo properly, but it has a glossy dark green patina. Roman Empire 295 to 296 AD Issued under Maximianus Heraclea Mint (HΓ - 3rd Officina)AE | 2.45 grams | 23mm wideObv: Bust right, IMP C M A MAXIMIANVS P F AVGRev: Emperor receiving Victory on a globe from Jupiter who is holding a scepter, CONCORDIA MIL-ITVM Ref: RIC 14 Next: same theme, although any green

6 hours Thessaly, Melitaia c. 400 to 350 BC Issued anonymously AE | 1.83 grams | 13mmObv: Laureate head of Zeus left, to the right a thunderboltRev: Bee Next: another bug

I've got this cluster of hacksilver that came from a Japanese seller. These circulated in Java primarily but have also appeared in recent Sumatran discoveries, which is not too surprising as the neighboring islands often shared monetary culture across the Sunda Strait. I believe this group was assembled before recent Sumatran finds, however, and were probably found in Java like other findings which have been noted in archaeological reports. Next: same theme, more proto-money or odd-shaped money

Here's a cast coin I got earlier this week. I cherry picked it off of eBay and got it, and three common Northern Song coins, for a dollar a piece as unidentified. There's still good deals to be found, it seems! This is the only one worth more than what I paid, it carries a less common inscription Qian De Yuan Bao which was used during the tenth century by Wang Yan, the second ruler of the Former Shu kingdom, one of the failed states during the chaotic Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. I didn't have any coins from the Former Shu prior to this coin, so I was happy to get it at a bargain! Former Shu state of China 919 to 924 AD Issued under Wang YanAE cash | 3.04 grams | 23.5mm wide | 1.1mm thickObv: Qian Di Yuan BaoRev: Crescent above, slipped mould error resulting in off-centered square border Ref: Hartill 15.43 Next: same theme, another cast coin

This coin is a pretty unassuming tin pitis from Southeast Asia, which is an often overlooked region within numismatics. This one is a neat one because it's from the Siak Sultanate of Sumatra which is one of the less common issuers to see pitis from, although certainly not the rarest. The hexagon center hole is also quite interesting; it is in imitation of the influential hexagon holed bronze cash coins which were minted by the Javanese kings of the Banten Sultanate in the late 1500s. The script of this particular coin is also degraded and stylized; it's a contemporary counterfeit of the official Siak issue. Tin pitis were frequently counterfeited in the old times but I have always loved the more sloppy examples with their crude script. Lastly, this coin was given to me as a gift from the Sumatran Numismatic Museum (Museum Uang Sumatera) located in Medan. I've taken to appreciating provenance more lately and having that attached to this lovely coin makes it all the more interesting and special to me. Siak Sultanate of Sumatra c. 1610 to 1630 AD Issued anonymously Tin pitis | 1.97 grams | 24.5mm wide | 1mm thickObv: Sri Pangeran Ratu in Sumatran styled Javanese scriptRev: Blank (uniface) Ref: Z#307736 Next: another contemporary counterfeit or imitative coin

Spanish Empire 1641 AD, or at least the countermark Issued under Felipe IVAE 8 maravedis | 5.71 grams | 20mm wideObv: 1641 counterstamped over a rampant lionRev: VIII counterstamped over a castle shield Next: another lion coin

Ptolemaic Dynasty of Egypt180 to 145 BCAE chalkon | 8.67 grams | 20mm wide | 4mm thickObv: Zeus-Ammon rightRev: Two eagles standing leftRef: Svoronos #1426 Next: another second century coin (BC or AD) from anywhere but Europe

This obverse design, four petals within an incuse meeting at the center, is a flower seen from above. Most writers call it the sandalwood flower, which was a noted export of the Srivijaya of Sumatra. Some others have suggested it is a lily. The same flower motif was used across the Sunda Strait by the contemporary, and at times intermarried, royal Sailendra family of Java. Srivijaya of Sumatra 800 to 1300 AD (Circa) Issued anonymouslyAV quarter kupang | 0.16 grams | 5mm wide | scyphate flanObv: Sandalwood flower in incuse squareRev: Sumatran style Ma in Nagari script Next: same theme, flower/s

Katane of Sicily 216 to 206 BC (Circa) Issued anonymouslyAE chalkous | 4.42 grams | 18mm wideObv: Jugate busts of Serapis and Isis, to the right an XRev: Apollo standing left, leaning on a column, holding a laurel branch and a bow; omphalos at feet, ΚΑΤΑΝΑΙΟΝRef: SNG Cop# 190-192, it's the "e-plate coin" on Numista Next: another island coin

6 hours, so I think a 'saint on horse' will have to do Piacenza, Italy 1694 to 1727 AD Issued under Francesco IBillon 10 soldi | 3.80 grams | 23mm wideObv: Saint Antoninus on horseback to left, holding banner, SOLDI X in exergue.Rev: Crowned shield of manifold armsRef: KM#28, it's the "e-plate coin" on Numista Next: anything from Italy that is not Roman

Macedonia 359 to 336 BC Issued under Philip IIAE17 | 5.63 grams | 17mm wideObv: Diademed Apollo rightRev: ΦIΛIΠΠOY, Young horseman right, thunderbolt belowRef: SNG ANS 880 Next: another horseman coin

6 hours Suri Dynasty of North IndiaDated 952AH = 1545/1546 ADAE Paisa | 20.30 grams | 25mm wide | 5mm thickRef: Z#305609 Next: another heavy coin (15g+)

This one is neat because the city name, Palembang, has always been known on this coin but the heavily stylized Arabic inscription hid another interesting term: Inglistan, meaning state of England. The coin's inscription had never been fully read until around 2013- prior to that it was mostly undeciphered despite being known to catalogers since the 1800s. Before the Inglistan portion was read, and thus linked to the British Occupation period of Palembang, this coin was believed to have been issued around 1750 AD as told in FSR's book Palembang Coins. In essence, this coin was a occupation issue under the British crown, albeit leased out to local minters, during their short rule over Sumatra from 1812 to 1816. Palembang Sultanate of Sumatra1812 to 1816 AD Issued under British OccupationTin pitis | 1.42 grams | 20.5mm wideObv: Alamat fi bilad Palembang dar InglistanRev: Blank (uniface)Ref: R#4, Z#293333 Next: another occupation issue

City-state of Pegu, Burmac. 1500s-1600s AD Issued anonymouslyLead unit | 4.44 grams | 22mm wide | 2mm thickObv: Peacock facing right surrounded by a line border with ~38 outer dotsRev: Six-sided star center, flourish outer borderRef: Z#268482 Reportedly found at the site of the Kanbawzathadi Palace Next: another lead coin