From the moment its ships first set sail in 1601, the stories of the East India Company and the British Monarchy have been forever connected.

On that first voyage, Queen Elizabeth I instructed Company merchants to carry Britain’s very first international trade coin, known as Portcullis Money. Later, in 1677, King Charles II awarded The Company permission to mint its own coinage and by 1835, King William IV granted it permission to mint coins bearing the Monarch’s effigy.

Today all our legal tender coins are issued under the authority of the government of St Helena. Continuing the privilege granted by William IV nearly 200 years ago, The East India Company coins carry the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to provide collectors and investors with the added assurance of authority. As such, every East India Company coin is fully approved by both Her Majesty the Queen and the government of St Helena.