Coins of Raja Raja Chola

[Spaniard]

Hi Peter...I think your referring to the crescent above the cyphers..
From what I've read the common crescent above the cyphers are mainland India, and without a crescent from the Sri Lankan island.

[Figleaf]

Quite right, Paul. Shouldn't post when I have no time to check.

Peter

[Swaan]

Here is another variety coin of Rajaraja chola.
On this , there is an impression of a human foot to the right of the standing figure (usually conch. RG has posted a similar coin on this page and Q.G has posted another before!).  This is called "paadam" type  in Southern parts and is scarce to get.  On the other side there is a surprise. The legend "rajaraja" is written below the arm of the seated figure, but the script has some difference. The first "raja" is just the same but "ra" looks to have an additional vertical stroke. The second "raa" shows an additional vertical stroke very clearly and as though there is a "ra" in incuse, but without horizontal line in incuse. The "ja" is either incomplete due to smaller flan or might have been struck as the "ja" of Brahmi because it resembles the capital "E" of English alphabet. It may be remembered that he invaded north where the influence of Brahmi and Nagari script can be seen even during the Vijayanagar period. This could have been struck during one of his expeditions at some other mint.

Hello,
I think I got the same kind of graphy with the additional strokes at "ra" but whitout the footprint on the other side. However I'm wondering if mine could be the result of a double strike : the "ra" are badly executed and there are some lack of metal from 10 to 12 o'clock. The coin is a bit convex on this side.
4.07g, 16.5mm

[THCoins]

Hi Swaan, and welcome to WoC !

I do not see clear signs of your coin being a double strike. There is some wear and signs of previous corrosion though. But for a 1000 year old coin it still looks fairly pristine !

[Swaan]

Thanks THCoins !

Indeed, no clear signs at first sight, but some elements make me doubt : empty space on hight elements (in red) and some traces of what could be a "ghost strike" (in blue).
For exemple the shape of the knee could to be the result of the encounter of the leg and a previous "ra".

[THCoins]

To be sure about a double strike you would need sharp details. Possibly this coin was already struck with an old die. But while i am not convinced about a possible double strike, i can not disprove it either 

[drnsreedhar]

I agree with Anthony fully that it is not an over-strike on this coin. This is the variety where there is an additional vertical stroke to "ra" on both the lines like the one I had posted in  Reply #82. The broken lines are not part of a previous strike but some later damage on the left leg. It looks like a cut on the relief strike. Between the thigh and the leg on the left side, there is another line that probably represents the robe. Another image from reply no.75 shows it very clearly. I am posting the images for comparison. There is an abundance of die varieties of this type coin. Some of them show broken lines on such images like this one shown on top right in reply no.16 (  http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii203/amitvyas03/Cho2.jpg ).

[drnsreedhar]

Posting a few die variants.
You can see something like a "Katar" on the coin ID no. AI.S-003#004. It actually is the horizontal stroke over the "ja" of the second line! And there is a short, narrow canal running through and through between the "r" and "a" of "ra"!! . One may call it prototype to the Suez canal.. 

[drnsreedhar]

Now one Silver Kasu also.

[Gusev]

Thank,  drnsreedhar
Good examples

[drnsreedhar]

Thank you Gusev.

[Gusev]

What is your opinion on the date?
See my reply http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,46508.msg291253.html#msg291253

[drnsreedhar]

What is your opinion on the date?
See my reply http://www.worldofcoins.eu/forum/index.php/topic,46508.msg291253.html#msg291253

Dear Gusev
I have written my view on the date at the link. Please see that.

[drnsreedhar]

I have a little wonder that I want to share. One of my numismatic friends shared me images of two of his Rajaraja chola coins, one base gold and one silver. It is astonishing that the base gold issue is struck with the same devices seen on the copper and silver coins and they have weights also corresponding to the copper issues. It is observed before that 4.2gms and 3.8gms standards have been kept for the copper coins. That might have some regional significance. But surprisingly silver and gold coins are also seen struck to those same standards.
I have not so far seen coins of any other ruler issued in gold, silver and copper having identical weight, design, devices and legend.

I think this is a unique instance in history and hence this post. Please contribute any such instance regarding any other ruler having such issues known. Thanks.

[Figleaf]

That's a fantastic trio. TFP. You are quite right to say that this is a special set. The problem this set poses is that the coins, even though they are in the name of the same ruler, could not have circulated together. It would have been too easy to cover a copper coin with some silver or gold. Some musings:

One option is that they circulated at different places. The empire was large, so this is a possibility. However, what would stop sailors and merchants from taking coins from one area to another?

Another option is that they circulated at different times. Suppose there was a long war during the reign of this ruler. Wars cause inflation, because the ruler spends more than his income on warfare (today, this is called a government budget deficit). When the war is over, there is a big loot to divide, as the population of the newly conquered territories are either robbed blind or get to pay a large amount to the conquerers. There is an attempt to issue better coins. It is likely to have failed through Gresham's law.

A third option is that high inflation made a change from gold to base silver necessary. Copper fakes, meant to be gilded or silvered turned up.

One indication is that, while their image and size remained constant, their weight seems to have been different. If a larger amount of coins shows the same thing, this means that the right thickness was more important than the right weight. Savvy merchants could have picked out the coppers. Other people would have been unable to do so systematically. That looks like an official attempt to deceive the people at least for a while.

The above is all speculation. I suspect that there has already been research on this amazing phenomenon.

Peter