Cast coins
Topic: Economy of Early India: Agriculture, Trade, Guilds, Coinage · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Cast coins were made by pouring melted metal into a mould, which is a shaped hollow. The metal cooled and hardened into a coin. In early India most cast coins were made of copper. They became common in Mauryan and post-Mauryan times. This method was different from making punch-marked coins, where symbols were hammered one by one onto a piece of metal. It was also different from die-struck coins, where a metal blank was pressed between two engraved blocks. Some cast coins were issued by cities and tribes, not only by kings. They show that cheap copper money was being used for small, everyday buying and selling.
Example
Cast copper coins have been found at early historic cities such as Taxila and Kaushambi. They date to the last few centuries BCE.
Don't confuse with
- Punch-marked coins: these were the earliest coins, made of silver and copper. Each symbol was hammered on separately, not poured into a mould.
- Die-struck coins: these were pressed between engraved dies. The Indo-Greek coins with rulers' names and portraits were made this way.