INDIA, WESTERN KSHATRAPAS: Rudrasimha I (c.178-197 CE) Silver drachm, as Kshatrapa. Dated (!) 111. VERY RARE, CHOICE and IMPORTANT!

Obverse	Head of king right, blundered Greek legend around, Saka era date 111 behind head
Reverse	Crescented three-arched hill (chaitya), river below, crescent moon at left, sun at right, Brahmi legend around (at 8:00, clockwise): Rajno Mahakshatrapasa Rudradamnaputrasa Rajno Kshatrapasa Rudrasihasa
Date	SE 111 = 189 CE
Weight	1.74 gm.
Diameter	15 mm.
Die axis	9 o'clock
Reference	Senior 333.21
Comments	CHOICE example of a super rare coin of great importance in the study of the history of the Western Kshatrapas. Rudrasimha I issued a series of undated coins as Kshatrapa and then started dating his coins when he became Mahakshatrapa in SE 100. But here we have a coin in which he bears the title of Kshatrapa and yet it is dated 111! Why Rudrasimha I issued coins as Kshatrapa well into his reign as Mahakshatrapa has been a subject of much puzzlement and debate in the literature on the history of the Western Kshatrapas. I have dealt with this question in detail in my paper A Simple Two Mint Model for Western Kshatrapa Coinage, Numismatic Digest, Vols. 32-33, 2008-09 (published 2011), pp. 33-78. As far as I know, there are fewer than 5 coins known of this date and type. A rare opportunity for the advanced collector of Western Kshatrapa coinage!