Lot 1

Ancient, Gold Leaf, 0.04 gms, 10.37 mm, 'Nishka' Money is known as the valuable objects in precious metals/ stones and are said to be prevalent during the period prior to issuance/ circulations of proper 'coins' in India. Since the coinage in India is said to have commenced around 600 BC, the 'Nishka' money might be in use during the Vedic/ later-Vedic period (1500 BC - 600 BC). In absence of the concept of 'coins', the role of 'Nishka' money was to facilitate the financial transactions and to overcome the problems of barter system in a limited sense. Present piece (a gold leaf) was found along with some gold objects of similar high workmanship from somewhere near Allahabad. Unlike the gold ornamental diskettes of Indus Valley Civilization era, which were found in May 2000 at Mandi in Muzaffarnagar district (western Uttar Pradesh), present piece shows a very fine workmanship, on account of which and due to its findspot being farther east than the Indus valley areas i.e. in the heartland of Gangetic plains, its period may tentatively be just prior or contemporary to the period of issuance of earliest archaic punch-marked coinage i.e. around 700-600 BC, Reference # Dr. S.K. Bhatt, NISHKA-The Rig Vedic Money, Academy of Indian Numismatics & Sigillography, 1998, very fine, extremely rare.