A Nayak dynasty coin: Deer looking back [solved]

Hello Experts,

I got this coin as a part of a lot. The lot was advertised as Madurai, Tanjore, Sivagangai and surrounding area nayaks. 
 

Would love any help ID this coin. I can clearly see a deer looking back. I obviously checked Numista and Zeno.ru but couldn’t find a match. A more general match found some similar motifs here: 

1. https://www.bidcurios.com/product/copper-coin-of-madurai-nayakas-17th-cen-ad-with-deer-bending-back/
2. https://marudhararts.com/e-auction/auction-no-27/lot-no-471/coins-of-india/independent-kingdom/south-india-kingdom/07-tanjavur-nayakas/buy.html
 

would love a more legitimate ID of the coin 

Can you redo the photo in a lighter place, it's so dark l can't make it out even turning up the brightness on my screen

 I had a quick go, brightening them four times 

Not sure , these usually have a  Kannada inscription on one side rather than 2 animals, all those in KM show the inscription on one side. These are very small coins, give the dimension of the coin as it might help i.d

 First side similar, the bend of the leg and the neck 

https://www.bidcurios.com/product/copper-coin-of-madurai-nayakas-17th-cen-ad-with-deer-bending-back/?srsltid=AfmBOory-wPain_2PCfDNb50l39lzaHKSrmUxO-e3B4R4DfQwU3LkNxV 

Madurai Nayakas, (17th Cen. AD), Copper Unit, 

Obv: Deer bending back, Rev: Sri Vira Inscription 

I have a tray full of Madurai types, I found this one that has a head turned back, not sure of the other side though 

Thank you for the help! So it looks like there is no clear match with both sides having that deer. The closest seems to be Vic’s coin. Hmmm 

Does this happen? Perhaps two of these coins have been stuck to one another for a really long time and so the deer got imprinted on both the sides? 

Measure the coin, mine is 11mm

Here you go: 

- weight: 0.86 gms 

- Diameter: 11 mm

There is some bug where my comments are being duplicated multiple times

More research seems to indicate this is a Travancore or Venadu  Thirai cash. They had deer on one side and a battle axe on the other. There are quite a few examples like the one you shared @Vic65 Very likely I have a double strike, which is super cool 

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=875893587891673&id=100064131189124

I have looked on one of my rarely looked at trays 🤔 and found 6 more similar types but this time 4 have a Horse on one side and umbrella on the other, another is of the deer looking backward and another has what looks like a long legged bird ,they are all ticketed as Travancore

Here are some of the type across the top

Wow! I am so jealous :) How did you get such an amazing collection. I am an expat but originally from Madras. So trying to connect to my roots through coins and history. 

Specific to the deer, do you have deer on both sides or am I lucky enough to have a double obverse :) 

Sramsrin

Wow! I am so jealous :) How did you get such an amazing collection. I am an expat but originally from Madras. So trying to connect to my roots through coins and history. 

Well I am aged 80 so been collecting for decades, here is a tray of mixed Vijayanagar and other S India been untouched for years

Vic and myself are hoarders with age… 😁 If you speak Tamil as I do, might I suggest you head over to https://www.tamilvu.org/ and download TVA_BOK_0019383_தஞ்சாவூர்_நாயக்கர்_காசுக்கள் and the others books from the author…

Not hoarders :) Collectors. 
 

I am Tamil and I speak Tamil. But can’t read. The missus can. Let me check out that book 

Thanks for The recs! Seem like an amazing set of books 

Sramsrin

Not hoarders :) Collectors. 
 

I am Tamil and I speak Tamil. But can’t read. The missus can. Let me check out that book 

You are probably in the same boat as I am. I can't read properly either (self-trained) as I grew up in the US (my wife, on the other hand, grew up in India and speaks/reads fluently). Use ChatGPT, Google, Claude, whatever to get it done. That is what I do, otherwise it will take me forever. I do that for several languages…

Quant-Geek

Sramsrin

Not hoarders :) Collectors. 
 

I am Tamil and I speak Tamil. But can’t read. The missus can. Let me check out that book 

You are probably in the same boat as I am. I can't read properly either (self-trained) as I grew up in the US (my wife, on the other hand, grew up in India and speaks/reads fluently). Use ChatGPT, Google, Claude, whatever to get it done. That is what I do, otherwise it will take me forever. I do that for several languages…

Personally, I don't think it is a Nayaka coin, nor does it have Sri Vira in the back…

Yup! We concluded it was a Travancore thirai cash