Ancient Lanka - Bull and Fish Type

Pandya Infuence 824 - 943

A irregualar copper coin found from the period of Pandya influence in Lanka with the seated bull on obverse and two or three fish on reverse.

SPECIFICATIONS Alloy Cu Type Struck ? Diameter 21.5 mm Thickness 2.9 mm Weight 3.49 gms Shape Round DieAxis O°
		Mitchiner #821

Obverse : Humped bull seated right with lamps on either side; cresent above and stabd below in dotted circle.
Reverse : Two fishes horizontal, upper facing right and lower left between two lamps, ; cresent above and stand below represented by three parallel lines, the middle one being shorter than the other two.

The "Horizontal Fishes and Bull" type seems to belong to a period pahaps an century earlier than the Sinhala Invasion by ParakaramaBahu I

See also lighter coin with the Two fish on reverse in opposite directions.

Text edited from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Page 86 Chapter VII Medaeval Indian - Pandya

The coin was scanned at 300dpi and displayed at 300dpi. It was obtained in 2001 December from Frederick Medis a leading collector in Colombo.