Century 3rd BCE. to 1st CE - Lanka
Ruhuna - Fish shaped Lead object

Lead Objects in the shape of Fish, Conch, Tortoise, with most often indistinct Brahmi Script on reverse have been found in Akurugoda in area of Tissamaharama. They may have been used as money.

SPECIFICATIONS
AlloyLead
TypeCast
Length23.3 mm
Width10.7 mm
Thickness4.7 mm
Weight2.99 gms
ShapeFish
 ruhuna_fish_pb_obverse
ruhuna_fish_pb_reverse
Item in the shape of a Fish. No engraving visible.

Lead Objects used for Money in the shape of Fish are in the 1999 catalog by Osmund Bopearachchi and Rajah Wickramasinhe titled Ruhuna. An Ancient Civilization Re-visited The item above is similer but slightly larger than speciman M.3 and was obtained directly from the same collector who provided most of the items for that book.

This item in the shape of a fish is probably from the same Era of the dolphin shaped coins were in circulation in the Greek world. Marine shapes including the tortoise and fish was used as coins more recently in Malacca.

The coin was scanned at 600dpi and displayed at 500dpi. It was obtained in 2001 December from Mr A. Ratnayaka a collector in Katharagama, Lanka, from the small collection he sent for display at the Sri Lanka Numismatic Society 25th Anniversary exhibition.