Jump to content

Coins of the British East India Company.


Jack the Collector
 Share

Recommended Posts

Jack the Collector

Per a request I am posting some coins of the British East India Company.After many tries and a flurry of colorful metaphors the photos are as good as they are going to get,my apologies.First up a 1808 10 Cash from the wreck of the Admiral Gardener.On Jan 24, 1809 The Admiral Gardener was caught in a strong storm.Round about 80 miles from London near Margate,the gale intensified and the Admiral Gardener ended up running aground in the Goodwin Sands.Eventually drifting out to sea and to the bottom.No trace of the ship was found until 1984,then salvaged in 1985.One of the salvaged items was a barrel with 28,000 copper coins.This is one of those coins.

DSC_0120[1].jpg

DSC_0122[1].jpg

IMG_20210817_0004.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow! Thanks for sharing! Very cool item! Dad was just telling me about a part of a book that he is reading and it is dealing with the Goodwin Sands! Very interesting . . . 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack the Collector

Thanks all,I am trying to photograph more with poor results.I think I will photograph the ones that are not grade certified ..... those slabs make it difficult.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What an amazing coin with a really neat story. Thanks for taking the pains to photograph!

I just had to look this up in some old papers, and here is an account published in the "London Courier and Evening Gazette" on 27 Jan 1809:

 

          On the evening of Tuesday great apprehensions were entertained for the fate of the Indiamen proceeding through the Downs: but nothing was known of their situation until Wednesday morning, when a most distressing scene presented itself to the spectators from Deal. Three large ships were seen on the Godwin Sands, with only their foremasts standing, hoisting signals of distress, and the sea was dashing over them mountains high. The crews were all collected on the poops, waiting for that relief which the Deal boatmen seemed anxious to afford them. These men, by their indefatigable exertions, and at the imminent hazard of the lives, reached the wrecks of the Indiamen, and took out of the Admiral Gardner the whole of her crew. The boatmen from Ramsgate and Broadstairs joined those from Deal, and removed into their boats the people from the Britannia, previous to which this last chip had lost of her crew three Lascars and twenty-four seamen, and one died in one of the Deal boats from fatigue.

          Of the crew of the Admiral Gardner, it is feared that four have been lost; for in the night one of the seamen having been washed overboard, the third mate and three seamen volunteered their services to endeavour to pick him up in the ship's boat, which was never after heard of.

          There are other accounts which estimate the loss of the Britannia at only seven men. Our statement is given on the authority of a Deal Boatman, who had been at the wreck.

          We regret to state, that the boatmen were not in time to save a single man belonging to the third ship (a large brig), and all the hands on board perished. There were proper pilots on board the Indiamen, but the violence of the weather baffled all their skill.

         The Admiral Gardner was the first vessel driven upon the sands; and as soon as the pilot of the Britannia found that ship shoaled her water, he let go out anchor, and after that two more, but such was the violence of the gale, that she was driven on the mud with three anchors a bean.

          Vice-Admiral Campbell, at day-light, sent two gun-brigs, a lugger, and a cutter,  as near as possible, in order to render the sufferers every assistance in their power. If the weather abated soon, it was expected that part of the cargoes might be saved. 

          The following communication, on the above melancholy subject, was received yesterday morning at the India House:---

          "It is with great concern we have to state, that letters from the East India Company's agent at Deal, give the melancholy intelligence of the loss of the Britannia and Admiral Gardner Indiamen, on the Goodwin Sands. Three men perished belonging to the Britannia, and seven belonging to the Admiral Gardner. The Britannia's cargo is of great value, having a considerable quantity of cloth for the China market, which cannot be replaced."

 

Looking forward to seeing more of your collections!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack the Collector

Ok, I think I have gotten the hang of getting a half decent photo of a coin. I must digress, I am not a modern man....I do not own a cell phone, have a microwave oven, answering machine, and so on. The only reason I have a computer is the ability to feed my collecting addiction worldwide. So anything digital can get the best of me sometimes.

 

Now a brief history. The East India Company and coinage dates from 1601, when, with a Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I, it’s first ships set sail to the east with cargo of heavy cloth and £6,000 of specially minted silver coins featuring the emblem of the Queen.

As its reach expanded over the centuries, The Company’s coinage became the foundation of trade across the emerging Empire in the east. The only company to acquire the right to issue its own coins, it created the currency system in India which was to last until their Independence in 1947.

Much of its history has been captured in the designs of its coins. These coins tell the story of how a group of merchants created a company that far exceeded their ambitions, uniting distant markets and building and sustaining an empire. They were awarded the right to fortify the Island of St Helena in 1857 – a vital refueling port for all East India Company ships sailing to the East it was to become an important strategic port for all ships of the British Empire. In 1821 the first local coins are introduced to St Helena, over 700.000 coins were produced in Birmingham to be shipped to St Helena. Intended for use by the local population, greatly increased following the exile of Napoleon to the island, they arrived after he had died and most of the garrison had left. The Crown directly appoints the governor-general, or viceroy in India. The Company itself was formally dissolved by Act of Parliament in 1874. Thus began the British Raj, direct imperial rule of India by the British state. In 2010 the East India Company is re-established as a luxury multi-faceted brand once again trading in tea, coffees and fine foods. The have been issuing collector coins and medals as well.

 

Here Is one of those St Helena coins.

DSC_0128[1].jpg

DSC_0129[1].jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Jack the Collector Amazing coins, and I really enjoyed the history of the company and currency. What got you started collecting the HEIC coins?

 

Quote

Ok, I think I have gotten the hang of getting a half decent photo of a coin. I must digress, I am not a modern man....I do not own a cell phone, have a microwave oven, answering machine, and so on. The only reason I have a computer is the ability to feed my collecting addiction worldwide. So anything digital can get the best of me sometimes.

 

That's great! You're not alone. In our house, we do not have cell phones (in fact, the phone in our living room is the old roatry-dial style with the four-prong connector plug), absolutely no microwave (though we do have a nice toaster oven!), no answering machine, no social media accounts, etc. Even our digital camera dates back to about 2002!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was looking online and found a few cool images:

 

A beautiful William IV one:

 

image.png

 

image.png

 

 

And a really nice Queen Victoria one:

 

image.png

 

image.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Courtesy of the East India Company website, here is a picture of the first type of coinage they struck during the reign of Elizabeth I:

 

Portcullis-Money-1-side.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack the Collector
14 hours ago, GCCE1854 said:

That's great! You're not alone. In our house, we do not have cell phones (in fact, the phone in our living room is the old roatry-dial style with the four-prong connector plug), absolutely no microwave (though we do have a nice toaster oven!), no answering machine, no social media accounts, etc. Even our digital camera dates back to about 2002!

To paraphrase General George Patton(making this comment military related  for this forum) Lord how I loathe the 21st Century!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jack the Collector
21 hours ago, GCCE1854 said:

What got you started collecting the HEIC coins?

There is no short answer here,but I'll try.Understand that I have the collecting addiction bad.I collect many things ranging from Egyptian artifacts(all documented),Kachina dolls,coins,stamps and so forth.Couple that with a passion for history....if I read about a period of history and become enamored with it  I start collecting it.So to your question,as a wee lad I read a book about traveling the high seas during the 15th,16,and 17th centuries.Chiefly following the exploits of the  DUTCH East India Company.I got my allowance for chores done on Saturday's.I would go to the local Coin & Stamp shop every weekend to spend it.One Saturday shortly after I read that book,at the shop he had some Dutch East India Company coins and I bought them.Advance several years later,I was an exchange student in Great Britain.Low and behold on a visit to a coins shop there,I was introduced to the British East India Company and the rest is history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...