Summary

20 Cash, Issued by, Madras Presidency, India, 1803
Minted by Soho Mint, Birmingham

Obverse Description

Company arms, a quartered shield (simplified oval arms of France and England in the first quarter of the shield else plain); crest of a helm with lion holding the Imperial Crown; lion supporters, each holding a banner charged with a cross motto below on ribbon, AUSPICIO REGIS A SENATUS ANGLIAE (translation: under the auspices of the king and senate of England); around above, EAST INDIA COMPANY; below, 1803

Reverse Description

Legend in Persian (translation: twenty cash make four falus); in exergue, XX . CASH

Edge Description

Plain

Significance

The Presidency of Madras placed a large order for copper coins with Matthew Boulton's Soho Mint, Birmingham, England in 1802. The denominations to be struck were 20, 10, 5 and 1 cash. It was cheaper to have such a large order of copper coins, some 35 million pieces, struck on Boulton' steam presses and shipped to India, than to have them struck locally. Local production of copper coins continued through the early 1800s with the local coins circulating side by side with the British strikings. The Soho coins were designed by John Phillip and the dies engraved by Conrad Heinrich Kuchler. By 23 May 1803 over 1 million 20 cash coins had been shipped from London. In Madras they circulated at 40 cash to the fanam and 42 fanam to the pagoda.

More Information