While much of the contemporary interest in Indian coins swirls around the denominations minted during the almost century-long era of the British Raj (1858-1947), ancient coins were also struck on the subcontinent. Coins in circulation between 300 and 200 BC were exchanged from what is now Afghanistan to India. A few hundred years later, bronze Kushan empire coins betrayed Greek influences; silver and copper coins bearing images of brahman bulls and Arabic writing were minted in the centuries that followed.