1840.] of the Bactrians mid IndO' Scythians. 1227 



No. 8. A small round silver piece, weighing 33 grains, in the cabi- 

 net of Dr. Chapman ; a duplicate of this piece is in the possession of 

 Captain Hay, who has kindly favoured me with an impression of it ; 

 and I am thus, by a careful comparison of Dr. Chapman's coin with the 

 impression of Capt. Hay's piece, able to say that they have both been 

 struck by the same dies ; and also that Capt. Hay's coin must have 

 been struck before Dr. Chapman's piece, for on the reverse of his 

 coin there is no visible flaw, whereas on the reverse of Dr. Chapman's 

 coin there is a great flaw passing across the male figure, and a lesser 

 flaw across the female figure : proving that the reverse die must have 

 become cracked from repeated hammering, and that there are most 

 probably many more similar counterfeits in existence. The original 

 of this piece will be found engraved as No. 7, of plate 28, vol. iv. 

 Jour. As. Soc. of Bengal. 



The chief objections to the genuineness of this piece are ; 1st. its 

 metal, none of the Indo-Scythian coins yet discovered being of silver; 

 2nd. its size and type, which are identical with those of a gold coin 

 already known ; 3rd. the jumbling of the letters on the obverse, where 

 I observe that the letter A is the only legible character of the words 

 PAO NANO PAO ; 4th. the want of a halo round the head of 

 NANA, which is never omitted upon the genuine coins in gold and 

 copper ; and to these I may add, the filling in of the arms and body of 

 the half length figure on the obverse with small strokes, apparently 

 copied from the shaded lines in Mr. Prinsep's engraving. 



The Indo-Scythic coins of Kadphises, Oerki, and Kanerki are 

 always of superior execution ; the relief of the figures is bold and 

 rounded ; and not low and flat as on this silver piece j besides which, 

 the limbs and bodies of the figures on the genuine coins are never 

 formed of outline strokes, as on this silver piece, but are boldly and 

 creditably engraved. I have no doubt, from all these circumstances, 

 that this silver piece is a forgery. 



No. 9. A round gold piece in the possession of Mr. Conolly, C. S. 

 It is of very inferior execution, and is evidently copied from the coin 

 published by Mr. Jas. Prinsep as No. 1 of the same plate in which the 

 original of the spurious piece just described is given. Dr. Chapman, 

 who suspected this coin to be spurious, kindly procured me an impres- 

 sion of it, from which I have made the accompanying sketch. A cast 



