Mauryan Empire AR Karshapana, Taxila symbol, 4th-2nd BC, 3.44g, 21mm, Rare

Mauryan Empire, AR Karshapana, silver, 4th–2nd century BC, 3.44 g, 21 mm.

Uncertain mint. Anepigraphic. Obverse: multiple official punches including three human figures placed separately and an elephant; ancillary traces of other marks. Reverse: anepigraphic; large Taxila symbol within circular border, with remnants of earlier punches. Struck as a punch-marked issue on a rectangular flan cut from sheet; edges trimmed as made. Rare. Reference: Gupta & Hardaker 586. The silver karshapana was the principal currency of the Mauryan state, issued to a standard around 3.3–3.5 g and produced by impressing official symbols onto prepared silver blanks. The Taxila symbol on this piece links the type with the northwestern monetary system used along the major trade routes through Taxila, an administrative and commercial center of the empire. Such coins enabled collection of taxes and payment of armies across a unified territory from the late 4th to the 2nd century BC, before regional coinages superseded the imperial punch‑marked series.