Owner Comments:
The breadth of this collection has changed over the years, but the most recent adaptation strives to present a type-set of the numerous coinages struck at the Soho Mint. Those produced for the East India Company constitute a substantial chapter of Soho's history and deserve a rather broad representation in this set. Unfortunately, many of these coins are plagued with environmental damage, and those that have survived unscathed are not easily acquired. I encourage those hoping to build an entire set of Soho Mint East India Company coinage to seize every opportunity to acquire them. The stark contrast between the inflated mintages and the number of problem-free examples available is not something that I foresaw. The pieces contained in this set were only added after spirited bidding, a few curse words, and a touch of frustration.
As I noted in a previous EIC write-up, the story of the last Madras Coinage contract is marred with bad fortune. This is particularly true when considering the ill-fate of the 1808 Ten Cash pieces, which went down on the
Admiral Gardner, in the Goodman Sands in 1809 (Doty, 1998). Collectors of this series are undoubtedly familiar with the seemingly endless supply of sea-salvaged 1808 Ten Cash pieces that are on the market. In fact, one will have a significantly difficult time finding an example that is not associated with the
Admiral Gardner shipwreck. To this end, problem-free examples are very difficult to find and often command strong prices that are greatly disproportional to the number produced.
Obverse: The Obverse depicts the East India Company's arms surrounded by the legend. The company's arms consist of two outward-facing lions perched on top of a curved ribbon bearing the inscription "AUSP REGIS & SENATUS ANGLIAE" which translates to "By right of the King and Senate of England". The innermost foot of each lion is resting upon a ball above the ribbon. The lions are upright on hind legs supporting a shield with one arm and holding a slightly angled flagpole bearing an English flag. The shield is quartered, a crowned shield depicting the English and French coat of arms appears on the upper left-hand side. The remaining three quadrants are blank. Centered immediately above the central shield supported by the upright lions is a knight's helmet adorned with a necklace. Centered upon the top of the helmet is an upright lion with one paw resting on a ball. The lion is holding a regal crown and facing the viewer of the coin. The legend "EAST INDIA COMPANY" adorns the top of the coin. The date "1808" rests at the bottom centered under the coat of arms. The somewhat peculiarly spaced beaded border is contained within a very thin raised rim.
Reverse: The denomination "DAH KAS DO FALUS AST" or “ 10 CASH MAKE TWO FALUS” appears in Persian above two parallel lines. Immediately below the denomination, the legend "X. CASH." appears just above a decorated divider with a flower in the center and radiating branches bisected by progressively smaller balls. The entire reverse design is contained within a beaded border and a thin raised rim.
Edge: Plain
Notes: Although not listed on the label, this piece weighs 4.66 grams (medal alignment, 25.8 mm diameter). As I noted above, it is very difficult to find problem-free examples of the 1808 Ten Cash pieces because so many of them are salt-water damaged. This example retains a good amount of the original red on the obverse, but the reverse is slightly subdued by the toning. Unfortunately, I purchased this coin already graded, and the scratched holder makes it difficult to fully capture the character of the coin. Please disregard any notable marks that appear in the image, as these are almost certainly on the holder and not the coin.