A Brief Essay on the People and Traditions of Large Cent DOTY (American Numismatic Society): Introduction Overstrikes and Other Anomalies on Early Half Cents The Mysterious 1784 "Washington the Great" CoinageĪuction Appearances and Pedigrees of the 1792 Silver Center Cent Mint Copper Coins in Nineteenth Century America Origins of Edge Lettering on Early American Copper CoinageĮarly American Copper Coinage in Relation to the Art and Taste of the PeriodĬirculation of Pre-U.S.
Collins A Brief Essay on the People and Traditions of Large Cent CollectingĬopper Coinages and the Monetary Economy of the Early United States In Bangladesh, mahasthangarh is considered to be the most important site to have yielded large number of these coins.Benjamin H. Other important sites include Harinarayanpur of Haora, Tamluk of Medinipur, Dihar and Pokharna of Bankura, mangalkot of Bardhaman, Farakka of Murshidabad and Bangarh of West Dinajpur. Among these sites are Atghara, Boral, Chatrabhog, Dabu, Deulpota, G-plot, Harinarayanpur, Jata, Kankandighi, Khari, Manirtat, Namajgar, Pakurtala, Raydighi, Sarberia and Sitakundu. In South 24-Pargana a number of sites have yielded hundreds of copper coins. The occurrence of these coins has been recorded at chandraketugarh of North 24-Pargana. However, small coins of sub-multiple weights were also known. The common square cast coins were 3.62 gm in weight while round coins were 1.81 gm (in weight). The large sized square cast copper coins were 7.25 gm in weight. Tin, and some times lead as well, was added to the copper to make it more fluid. In manufacturing coins, pure copper was seldom used. One such mould was discovered at Pakurtala of South 24-Pargana. After casting, only a few moulds survived. The coins were prepared by pouring molten metal into a shallow mould made of burnt clay. A cast copper coin discovered at Mangalkot indicates magnetic properties. When the people learnt the benefit of coinage, copper was used all over the region for manufacturing cast coins. From the Chalcolithic Age the people of Bengal had acquired the knowledge and skills of casting with copper. The coins were manufactured with copper, which was easily obtained from the copper mines of the neighboring areas of jharkhand. Indraddhaja is still used in folk festivals of the southwestern region of Bengal. Elephant and chaitya symbols are also common. Religious symbols include a three-arched figure with crescent ( chaitya or stupa), cross, 'tree in railing' (or Bodhi-druma), swastika, a ladder, triangle-headed standard (Indraddhaja or Maitraka) etc. The animals represented in the symbols are elephant, horse, camel, bullhead and snake (or river). Among the common symbols used in cast copper coins are animal and folk or religious symbols. The round varieties are often found in pairs.Īlthough the symbols used in cast copper coins appear to be similar to the symbols in punched marked coins, in reality some of them are quite different. These coins are of two types - square and round - and are of multiple weights.
This helped them to achieve perfection in the design and allowed them to maintain uniformity in weight. The craftsmen of Bengal continued to create objects of the same type from generation to generation. The conservatism of agrarian Bengal is reflected in the symbols. The symbols used in them indicate the traditional folk-arts prevailing in Bengal. Thus their designs hardly indicated any change.
The most important aspect of cast copper coins is that they do not contain any signs of any king or dynasty.
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