THE EAST INDIA COMPANY AND ITS COINS

Four hundred years ago, the first voyage of The East India Company set sail. They raced the waves in their great ships to bring unimaginable treasures back home from distant lands captivating Kings and fashionable societies alike. In The Company’s next chapter, we bring together a setting where vibrancy, indulgence and inspiration is present for people to never stop discovering and never stop being surprised.

Much of The East India Company’s history has been captured in the immortal designs used in its coinage. These coins tell the story from a simple requirement to find a commodity with which to tempt its Eastern partners, a new coinage emerged, which eventually funded the very foundations of the British Empire. The Company was the largest bullion trader of its time.

Situated in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, is a small British Island territory of unspoilt beauty - St Helena. From receiving a charter to govern the island by Oliver Cromwell in 1657, fortifying and colonising St Helena with planters, to holding Napoleon captive, until he died in 1821, St Helena played a vital role in the success of The East India Company.

Today, St Helena plays a significant role as the Issuing Authority for our most prestigious coins.