The earliest Gupta coins apparently are the Kushana prototypes; but the later Gupta coins of the later part of the reign of Skandagupta are silver, heavier than those of the early kings. The percentage of gold in these coins also declined. This was probably due to the prevailing economic- conditions caused by the wars with the Hunas and others.
Chandragupta II was the first Gupta king who minted silver coins after defeating the Saka Satraps of Ujjain. His successor Kumaragupta II continued the minting of silver coins. In addition to the gold and silver coins, copper coins were also minted in the Gupta period. The barter system also existed side by side with currency.
Money-lending
In the Gupta period, wealth acquired by money lending was termed as ‘spotted’ or black’. Consequently, the profession of money-lending was normally restricted to the Vaisyas and the Shudras. Numerous laws and regulations for lending money on interest were prescribed. Guild banks and corporations framed their own rules.
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There were also professional users who earned their living by lending money to others. There were different rates of interest which varied from caste to caste. In the contemporary legal sources six kinds of interest are mentioned.