xperts disagree on exactly when the first coins began to appear on the Indian sub-continent, but silver currency certainly existed by 6th century BC. These coins weren’t always ‘coin-shaped’. The most common shape was rectangular bars of silver, with symbols punched into the metal, using a separate punch). These are known as punched-marked coins. It’s assumed these bars were issued by trade guilds, rather than local rulers, and cut to specific weights, as those that survive are irregular shapes and sizes.
