1st-3rd Century CE - Lanka
`Lakshmi' Plaque - Uncleaned

SPECIFICATIONS Alloy Pb Cu ? Type Struck ? Height 31. mm Width 18. mm Thickness 3.5 mm Weight 5.4 gms Shape rectangular DieAxis ?°

Obverse : Faintly distinct Lakshmi standing between two stalks of a plant
Reverse : More distinct railed svastika revolving to right (clockwise).

SPECIFICATIONS Alloy Cu Pb ? Type Struck ? Height 27. mm Width 17. mm Thickness 5.5 mm Weight 4.4 gms Shape rectangular DieAxis ?°

Obverse : Indistinct : probably it is Lakshmi
Reverse : Indistinct : probably it is railed Svastika

The ancient coins as found in the ground are covered with corrosion of the metal. Very careful cleaning of the raw coins will reveal the original image below. Since very crude methods are used by the untrained collectors in Lanka I obtained these uncleaned specimens to test if more professional cleaning may help reveal more detail and symbols, but I have not decided the best way to try. It will be nice to have scans both before (above) and after cleaning.

According to the collector who has cleaned large number of these ancient coins found in Ruhuna, a thicker masa (flesh) or coating of clay around the coin (lower specimen above) at time of discovery yields a nicer coin. The Lakshmi Plaques within are lot thinner and lighter than measuremnts given above for the raw coins.

The raw coins above were obtained directly via the same collector who provided most of the items for the 1999 catalog Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited , by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe.

For longer discussion and links to cleaned Lakshmi plaques see collection.

The raw coins were scanned at 300dpi and displayed at 300dpi. They were obtained in 2001 December from Mr A. Ratnayaka a collector in Katharagama, Lanka.