1808 East India Company (Madras Presidency) 10 Cash ☆☆ Soho Mint ☆☆ 313

Denomination: 10 Cash

Historical Period: British

Composition: Copper

Year: 1808

Fineness: 0.75

KM Number: 94

Country of Origin: United States

This 1808 10 Cash piece is a stellar, historically rich representative of British colonial coinage struck for the Madras Presidency under the administration of the Honorable East India Company (HEIC). Minted during a pivotal era of British economic expansion in Southern India, these iconic copper coins were actually struck in Great Britain at Matthew Boulton’s legendary Soho Mint in Birmingham. Employing state-of-the-art steam-powered coin presses, the Soho Mint achieved a level of detail and uniformity that was revolutionary for early 19th-century global coinage.

The obverse displays the majestic, highly detailed Coat of Arms of the East India Company, featuring two rampant lions supporting a central shield with the St. George's cross, topped by a third lion holding a crown. Below, the elegant Latin motto scroll reads Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae ("By the Authority of the King and Parliament of England"). The reverse features a bilingual presentation of the denomination—rendered beautifully in both English ("X. CASH.") and Persian script (Dah kas do falus ast). For collectors of British Empire, colonial Indian, or shipwreck-era numismatics (as many of these were famously recovered from the 1809 wreck of the Admiral Gardner), this choice fractional piece is a captivating addition to any cabinet.