East India Company, Bombay Presidency, Later coinages: Local minting, copper 4 Pice, 1802, balemark, rev. scales, adil [Justice] between pans, [4] below balance bar, 39.75g/3h (Prid. 141 [not in Sale]; Stevens 3.33; KM. 201). Reverse with large central gouge, obverse mediocre but the last two digits of date clear and with better visibility than the three specimens illustrated on the Stevens website, extremely rare, additionally only one specimen (British Museum, presented by the Government of Madras in 1905) in Snartt survey £50-£70

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Puddester Collection.

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Owner’s ticket.

In November 1802 the Mint and Assay masters addressed the Bombay Council on the subject of the copper coinage. As the 1791 and 1794-dated Soho coins had almost completely disappeared from circulation because of the rise in the price of the metal they contained, there was an urgent need for new coin. At the same time it was suggested that the weight of pice be reduced from 200 to 164 grains and the rupee equivalent be reduced from 100 to 50 pice. Council approved the new coins and production appears to have begun almost immediately, but the equipment used to strike them was deemed very unsatisfactory, causing Mint officials to request a further coinage from England within weeks, although it would be more than a year before Soho completed an 1804-dated coinage. For a few years Soho coins met local needs but by 1808, having made further representations to London for more coins without success, Bombay re-commenced production of local copper coins and continued to make them until 1829