Asia

EIC Merchant’s Mark

The balemark or merchant’s mark on a 1791 coin from British India. This is a 2 Pice coin from the Bombay Presidency. The mark identified products from the United East India Company as they were sold around the world. It was also called a “chop” derived from a Hindi word for “stamp.” PCGS PR-63 BN

1786 Sumatra 3 Keping

A crummy example of an East India Company 3 Keping coin. The obverse shows the bale mark, or merchant’s mark, of the company and the date 1786. The reverse has Jawi script with the denomination and Islamic calendar date of 1200. The Kepings were the first coins made by Matthew Boulton’s Soho Mint in England…