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AINCERT Press — Books and Research by Ujjwal B U Pant

All India Numismatics Council of Educational Research and Training
Founded 30 April 2026

"Don't talk about money, talk about history."

ANCIENT TREASURES: COINAGE OF INDIA

A Comprehensive Series on Indian Numismatic History

Ancient Treasures: Coinage of India is an original research series authored by Ujjwal B U Pant, Founder of AINCERT. The series documents the complete history of Indian coinage from the earliest proto-monetary objects of the Indus Valley Civilisation to the commemorative proof issues of modern Republic India. Each part is written using university-level source material including IGNOU MA and BA History references, making this one of the most academically rigorous numismatic publications authored by an Indian researcher at any age.

The series is unique in Indian numismatic literature because it combines historical scholarship with first-hand field research. Ujjwal B U Pant personally visited Rakhigarhi, the largest IVC site in India, and documented 177 photographs of active ASI excavations. This direct field experience informs the writing of the series and gives it a perspective that no other Indian numismatic publication currently offers.

PART 1

Ancient Treasures Part 1 covers the Mahajanapada period of ancient India, approximately 600 to 300 BC. This was the era of India's first true coins, the silver punch-marked karshapanas, issued by the 16 great kingdoms that preceded the Maurya Empire. The part examines the political context of each Mahajanapada, the monetary economy of the period, the symbolism of punch-marked coin designs and the connection between early coinage and the rise of trade routes across the Indian subcontinent.

Status: Complete

PART 2

Ancient Treasures Part 2 continues the journey through Indian history, covering the Maurya Empire through to the Lodi Sultanate. This part spans some of the most transformative periods in Indian numismatic history, including the imperial silver karshapanas of Ashoka the Great, the extraordinary Indo-Greek bilingual coinage, the gold dinars of the Gupta golden age and the silver tankas of the Delhi Sultanate. The part draws on Kautilya's Arthashastra, the world's first monetary policy document, as a primary reference for the Mauryan coinage section.

Status: Complete

PART 3

Ancient Treasures Part 3 is currently being written and targets approximately 17 dynasties from the Indus Valley Civilisation through to the Vijayanagara Empire. The part opens with the proto-coinage evidence from Rakhigarhi, including trade weights and gold etched quartz beads as discussed in the AINCERT Rakhigarhi Expedition documentation. Part 3 draws on IGNOU MA and BA History as its primary academic sources and incorporates first-hand field observations from the Rakhigarhi visit of 2026.

Status: In Progress

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ujjwal B U Pant is the Founder and President of AINCERT and the creator of the ARCHIER Scale and PF-ARCHIER Scale, India's original numismatic grading standards. He began collecting coins in Class 4 with no family background in numismatics, building a collection that now exceeds 2000 coins spanning Harappan proto-currency to modern Republic India proof sets. He personally visited Rakhigarhi and documented the active ASI excavation, witnessing the recovery of a gold etched quartz bead from 10 feet below the surface. He is currently a student in Class 7 at Vishwa Bharati Public School, Noida.

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