A single punchmark in shape of an animal, two tourine symbols and a damaru // Blank. 4mm, 0.14 grams. Terry Hardaker "The Mashaka Fractional Coinage of Ancient India" Group #B27/B28.

Rare early silver type. Tiny silver coin with an interesting history.

These tiny mashakas (or, more correctly, mashas), were minted during the late Magadha/early Mauryan period in northern India. They were first discovered and published in 1924, but escaped much attention from numismatists, with a notable exception of Terry Hardaker's "The Mashaka Fractional Coinage of Ancient India" which he published in 1999. They were probably worth 1/16th of a silver karshapana and numerous different types were minted using the normal punch technique. The coins are poorly understood, and only a few types are published.