Photo Credit: Julian-Coin
Medieval Ceylon Kahavanu Gold Coin
Buy It Now Price: $495 (price as of 2016; item no longer available)
Pros:
-This is a medieval Kahavanu gold coin from Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), a large island off the southern tip of India.
-The coin weighs 4.32 grams and is third party certified as EF-45 (Extra Fine) condition by ANACS (American Numismatic Association Certification Service). The ANACS certification is an important guarantee of authenticity.
-This coin type was first struck by the South Indian Chola Empire during the 11th century AD to fund the invasion and occupation of Ceylon by the great king Raja Raja Chola I.
-The Kahavanu gold coin shows the king standing on the obverse while the reverse portrays the king sitting on a low throne holding various ceremonial objects.
-Kahavanu gold coins are sometimes called “Octopus Man” coins because the figure on the coins vaguely resembles the many tentacled sea creature. However, the king is actually just wearing loose-fitting, MC Hammer-style parachute pants, giving the illusion that he has many “tentacles”.
-These gold coins are often crudely struck, but this example is well executed and very attractive. It is certainly among the finest examples of this coin type I have ever seen.
-This exotic, 1000 year old Kahavanu gold coin is a superb specimen of naïve or ethnographic art from a native South Indian Hindu dynasty.
–Medieval Indian gold coins have become much scarcer over the last 10 years and prices have risen accordingly. I feel $495 is a fair price for this piece.
Cons:
-This gold Kahavanu is one of the most expensive examples I have seen on the market. That is because the seller knows it is an outstanding specimen. In the art world, it is often necessary to pay premium prices to secure premium pieces.
-Medieval gold coins from another South Indian dynasty, the Vijayanagara Empire, are not only available at somewhat lower prices but also tend to be struck in finer styles.
-Although it was one of the great kingdoms of medieval India, the Chola Empire is relatively unknown today, especially in the West.
