Consider the following statements regarding the earliest currency units in India, technically designated as punch-marked coins or Karshapanas:
1. These metallic units were fabricated mostly out of silver or copper and featured multiple stamped symbols like the sun and a six-armed wheel, completely lacking any written inscriptions.
2. The coins followed a rigorous standardized weight metric that was regulated and verified by specialized merchant guilds.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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Accepted Answer

Both statements are correct. The earliest coinage did not use the casting or die-striking method; instead, metal sheets were cut into blanks and stamped with symbols using individual punches. They contain zero textual data or names of kings. To protect commercial trust, merchant guilds and urban state controllers strictly cross-checked their silver content and weight standards against base ratios.

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