Ancient Indian Coin?

[Ancientnoob]

I am not certain but I think the coin could be of a Celtic origin. The image on the coin looks like an abstract picture rather then text. I will have to get back to you guys on this one.

[roastedtoe]

The Dutch coin is a Duit...I'm sure on that one or numerous coin websites are wrong! lol

But as to this being celtic again...I'm wondering now if maybe it's a copper core of a gold plated stater and the gilding has completely vanished.  Could be an ancient forgery or copy.  Its design is somewhat reminiscent of South Ferriby staters and as ancientnoob said, the celts sometimes got very carried away with abstraction.  It could also (if a coin) be of a rarer or unrecorded type I suppose (to get carried away myself for a moment, lol).  New types do emerge now and then due to metal detecting finds.

Hmm....

[akona20]

Back to the subject coin it is time to bite the bullet and clean the other side. I suggest you PM bruce of the cleaning and conservation section for advice.

There is a chance that the writing is early Kufic but with only one side who knows.

[saro]

It really looks like a coin.
I tried and...I was wrong with Kilwa whose coins don't exceed 2g...
The weight, size and thickness lead better to india and this unidentified item listed by S.Goron (under n° MU22) may be similar. ?

[roastedtoe]

Old man...I'm wary of cleaning the other side when one is so well preserved.  Although I agree if there was some detail left amongst the damage it maybe a great assistance in identifying this object.  I tend to be of the very cautious school when it comes to cleaning, although inherent in how I find my coins I have to do some cleaning to identify most objects.  I might give it a bit of work with a soft cloth and see if something comes up, but until the museum has had a go, I'd not want to do anything more.

Saro, I appreciate your efforts, be they successful or not.  I find a lot of wrong answers get to the right one in the end with things like this. lol.  I appreciate everyone's suggestions be they the answer or not.  Your latest suggestion is a lot closer to the coin in design.

Thanks!

[roastedtoe]

I got out the soft cloth, the damaged side just got shiny, but no clearer.  Sadly.

http://www.celticcoins.ca/record.php?coin_id=000699

It's coins of that type, and there are numerous variations on the design, that keep me heading back towards Celtic now.  While by no means a match, the feel of the design is similar enough to make me wonder....

[akona20]

The person I have recommended for advice is one of the world's experts in coin cleaning. He is not some amateur. However it is, of course, your call.

[roastedtoe]

He may not be an amateur, but I am, thus the caution. Lol

[akona20]

You have something that is identified maybe? Then you just might, under careful instructions, uncover the missing part of the mystery.

The concept of cleaning unattributed pieces is interesting.

[Ancientnoob]

Iceni British Celts 100BCI feel like I am getting warmer.....Look here


http://wildwinds.com/coins/celtic/britain/iceni/i.html

[Figleaf]

But can you produce a celt with that circle? I am still trying to make saro's suggestion fit.

Peter

[Ancientnoob]

This has a circle and is from that area geographically. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/SE/SE0062.html
Can we all agree the "text" if interpreted as so is illegible?

[saro]

I am not at all conviced by a celtic origin... I agree : for the moment the text is illegible but for me, is very close to the one of the first scan of S.Goron's MU22 (upper left).

[roastedtoe]

I keep trying to make various Indian coins fit it too but can't and swing back to the celts each time.  Circles around the central design aren't that common with the celts I know, but they're not unheard of.  Although the link above and the picture below (my own Canti potin) do have them.



There's also this from Gaul,

http://www.anythinganywhere.com/commerce/coins/coinpics/ancg-remi-sg136-1.jpg

I've seen others in my hours of trawling images of celtic coins.  So the circle isn't unknown it's just not common.

I think an important question is whether or not the design is a script or not?  That would give a broad geographical decision for where it originated from.  If it's a script, it's eastern (I presume), if it's not, then the design is an abstracted illustration and more likely European....

Hmm...

Thanks!

[akona20]

I believe we need to analyse what saro is suggesting rather carefully given that we only have one side of a probable coin.

I. Jaunpur produced a series of coins approximating this size (weight uncertain).
2. the coins were round with one face having an inner circle with text both inside and outside of the circle.
3. If a date is present it will be on the illegible side if it is one of these coins.
4. The text within the circle could be described as crude and would require knowledge of the calligraphy to transliterate. However if we took a little licence perhaps we can almost see Mahmud or Mohammed