East India Company, Madras Presidency, Later coinages 1812-35, Royal Mint, London, copper Tr...

An extremely rare Royal Mint trial striking of the 4 Pice, 1824 East India Company, Madras Presidency, Later coinages 1812-35, Royal Mint, London, copper Trial 4 Pice, 1824/1240h, arms and supporters, ausp : regis & sen : angliæ [By the authority of the King and Parliament of England] on ribbon below, rev. 4 above chahar pai [Four pice] in wreath, right hand tip of which points down, struck on a large (30mm) flan without collar, 8.56g/6h (Prid. – [not in Sale]; Stevens 5.86, this coin cited; KM. 430 [illustrated as 431]). Extremely fine, the lack of a collar rendering the appearance of a scyphate, extremely rare [certified and graded NGC MS 62 BN] £400-£500 --- Provenance: K. Wiggins Collection, Baldwin Auction 25 (London), 8 May 2001, lot 575. Owner’s ticket and envelope. William Astell (1774-1847), the chairman of the Company, wrote to the Rt. Hon. Robert Peel (1788-1850) on 7 May 1824, requesting an order of about 100 tons of copper coin from the Royal Mint for Madras. Pattern pieces were made (see Lot 305) but, as they lacked any Persian inscription as to their value, the design was amended at the end of that year. Coins bearing finalised designs were delivered to the Company in four batches, in May, September and December 1825 and in March 1826. These coins took the place of the 20, 10 and 5 cash circulating under the old pagoda standard