Admiral Gardner Shipwreck Coins

 

The 1808 East India Company Copper Cash coins were amongst the first coins in the world to be minted by steam power, at the Soho Mint in Bringham, England. The Soho was created by the great Industrialist Mathew Bolton, and his partner, James Watt of steam power fame. Watt developed the concept of ''horsepower'' and the International System of Units (SI) units of watt or ''wattage''.

                         

East India Company, 1808, Ten Cash.

They were meant to be used at the East India Company (EIC) trading posts in India. Packed in wax, they were loaded on board the British East Indiaman, Admiral Gardner, to make the journey. Admiral Gardner was launched in 1797 as an East Indiaman (was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter to any of the East India Trading companies).

The Admiral Gardner was an 813-ton English East Indiaman built on the river Thames and launched in 1797. At 415 feet long and 36 feet, she had three decks, 23-gun ports, three masts and was built from oak and teak. 

                       

Illustration from the painting by F J H Gardiner for the book ''Lords of the East'' by Jean Sutton.

She made five voyages for the EIC, during the fourth of which she participated in a single-ship action with a Frech privateer. She was named after Admiral Alan Gardner. But on 24 January, 1809.she was caught in a storm in the English Channel when a gale tore her from her moorings. Three (of five) crew drowned as she sank on Goodwin Sands, never to be seen again until 1985. Lost was her cargo, 46 tons of EIC X and XX copper cash coins. The EIC put the value of its cargo at 21,579 Pounds.

                         

The wreck of Admiral Gardner on 24 Jan 1809.  

                     

                         

                                            

If this copper coin looks almost perfect, it is because it is carefully minted with the all-new steam presses. On 24 January 1809 Admiral Gardner, having set sail shortly before, was to become a footnote in history. Her Master, Captain William Eastfield, takes up the narrative. ''We sailed out of the Downes, with Carnatic and the Britannia, the wind from the eastward. On getting a little to the westward of the South Foreland, the wind drew to the south-east, and about dusk fell calm. It being flood tide, let go the anchor in fourteen fathom waters. At 7 pm, while giving the ship cable, the wind sprung up from the west-northwest. People were sent to hand sails immediately, but the wind speed increased, and they could not do what was required. They continued till 10 pm. The pilot then feeling the lead, called out the anchor was coming home, the people were then called off to give the ship cable, and when I was below seeing a little more service clapped on, a little before 11 pm, I heard the pilot exclaim'' cut away the sheet, the ships on shore''.

                        

Gone to the bottom were King's ransom in trade goods, and the shinning copper Cash Coins to be used.in trading posts in India.

The wreck was found in 1984 about 175 years after the ship sank, by a local fisherman who reported while he was snagging his nets. In 1985, the wreck was listed as being of historical importance and a license to dive was given to Richard Lam of Cornwall, the original discoverers of the wreck having formed a syndicate known as The East India Company Divers. They found a few coins. Subsequently, divers from a company called SAR Diving group salvaged an intact barrel which underwent preservation treatment at Portsmouth was estimated to contain 28,000 coins. The wreck was designated under the Protection of Wrecks Act in 1985.                         

Admiral Gardner Shipwreck Treasure mini album.

 

And if not for modern treasure salvors, the story would end here. But in 1985, the adventurous spirit of those East India Company ancestors emerged in a new generation, who recovered the lost treasure of Admiral Gardner.

                        

Coin with Certificate of Authenticity.

                       

Admiral Gardner Shipwreck Treasure Coin.

                       

EIC, 1808 Ten cash, pendant made from the Admiral Gardner Treasure Coin.

                       

1808, 10 Cash, Madras Presidency, weight 4.7 gm, NGC Certified Admiral Gardner Shipwreck coin.

   

  

Taj Mahal Sunken Treasure Coins

In 1702, AD, an Indian trader sailed from India bound for the Far East on the ''spice route,'' on a ship from the fleet of the Dutch East India Company. She carried a treasure to satiate desire. Bag after bag, containing 1,000 coins each of exquisitely minted silver rupees. The rupees had been minted on orders of Aurangzeb (1618-1707 AD), the sixth Mughal emperor of India.                         

Aurangzeb, One Rupee coin AH 1113, or AD 1701/1702.

On the way to the East, the trader probably anchored at the Portuguese trading post on the island of Ceylon (present day Sri Lanka), but disaster struck as it continued on its voyage around the southern tip of the Island with no storm warnings. The typhoon swept them on to the rocks off the Indian Ocean's Great Basses Reef off the southern coast of Ceylon. The Great Basses Reef is a treacherous stretch of turbulent water that masks a deceptively shallow depth of only around 10 to 15 feet.

                        

Location of the Great Basses Reef, on the coast of Ceylon.

                        

 

              Great Basses Reef.

Few records were recovered relating to the loss of life or the thousands of silver rupees that were part of the merchant ship's cargo.

In 1961, film makers Mark Smith and Bobby Kriegel spotted the silhouette of a small cannon while they were photographing large groupers that congregated off a picturesque fishing village along the palm -fringed coast. Returning the next day, they recovered the cannon along with several buckets of silver rupees.

Smith and Kriegel contacted their friend and fellow diver, Arthur C. Clarke, an Englishman who had made the Island his home since 1956. He was an avid scuba diver and often wrote about underwater exploration.  In 1963, Clarke and his dive associates recovered the treasure on the treacherous Great Basses Reef. Buried among the debris were concrete masses of silver rupees. Most people know Clarke as the Nobel- nominated ''Father of satellite communications'' and author of the bestseller, 2001: A Space Odyssey. He helped them claim salvage rights and identify the coins.

                           

     Arthur C, Clarke. (1917-2008)

Clarke made several dives on the wreck and retrieved some coins that he sent for display to Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC. They called it the Taj Mahal Treasure. More than 5,000 coins were retrieved in single denominations and clumps weighing 30 pounds (13.6 kg) each. The Arabic script stamped on them translated as a mint mark from 1702 AD. All were newly minted. They had all been minted in Surat in the year AH 1113, or AD 1701 and 1702 during the 45th and 46th regnal years of Aurangzeb.   

                       

       Sunken Treasure retrieved.
 

                        

After being underwater for over 250 years, the silver rupees were concreated together by coral and calcium deposits in the water.

The two salvage sleuths became diving buddies and good friends until Clarke's death in 2008 at age 90. 

The silver rupees in what is now known as the Taj Mahal Sunken Treasure collection are exclusive to ''Cannon Beach Treasure Company''. They are from Clarke's personal collection. 

                         

Taj Mahal Shipwreck Sunken Treasure Rupee coin AD 1702, Grade 3 Clump.

                        

Taj Mahal Shipwreck Sunken Treasure Rupee coin AD 1702, Grade 3 Clump.

                           

Arthur C. Clarke's Taj Mahal Sunken Treasure silver rupee coin Pendant

                       

A retrieved silver rupee, AH 1113, AD 1702.
 

                       

A Taj Mahal Treasure, with a certificate of authenticity of 1963, with Sir Arthur C. Clark's signatures.                    

                         

Translation of the Arabic written on the coins

 

Kardamakas and Coins

 

The Western Kshatrapas ruled over the central and western parts of India. They were Saka rulers of present-day states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. They ruled alongside the Satavahanas in the south, Guptas to the East, and the Kushans to the North. The Western Kshatrapas dynasty was formed by a king named Chastana or Catana around the Malwa region around 78 AD. 

                         

Western Kshatrapas, Kardamakas, Saka Era, Brahmi numerals 147, or 225 AD.

 

There were two lines of Kshatarapas, the Kshaharatas and the Kardamakas . Castana established the Kardamaka dynasty in the year 78 AD, thus making him the founder of the Saka Era. This is consistent with the fact that his descendants (who we know used the Saka era on their coins and inscriptions) would use the date of their founder as their era. Saka Era is a historical Hindu calendar era (year numbering), the epoch (its year zero) of which corresponds to Julian year 78 (Georgian minus 13 days).

                        

The Western Kshatrapas (orange) in the 2nd century AD,

A statue found in Mathura together with the statues of the Kushan king Kanishka and Vima Taktu, and bearing the name " Shastana'' is attributed to Chastana himself. His territory as described by geographer Ptolomy (100-170 AD) in his '' Geographia'' extends from Patalene (present day Sindh) in the West to Ujjain in the east and beyond Barigaza (present day Bharuch) in the south.

                       

Statue of Chastana, with costume details. The belt displays designs of horsemen and tritons/ anguiped, the coat has a highly ornate hem. Inscription ''Shastana'', Mathura Museum.

 

Rudraman 1 (130 - 150 AD) was the grandson of Chastana. He took the title of ''Mahakshatrapa'' and defended his kingdom from the Satavahanas.  King Jivadaman became the king in the year 100, Saka Era (corresponding to 173 AD). He is the first Satrap ruler who started to print the minting date on his coins, using Brahmi numerals of the Brahmi script behind the king's head.  Thereafter Rudrasimha ruled from 180-197 AD. A script of Rudrasimha 1 was recently found in Setkhedi in Shajapur district, dated 107 Saka Era. Damasena reigned from 223 to 232 AD. He was the son of Rudrasimha 1. 

                        

Brahmi numerals are a numerical system attested in the Indian subcontinent from the 3rd century BC. It is a direct graphic ancestor of the modern Hindu-Arabic numeral system. 

                           

The number 256 in Ashoka's Minor Rock Edict No.1. in Sasaram, 250 BC. 

                       

A coin dated to the beginning of the first reign of Jivadaman, in the year 100 of the Saka Era or 178 AD.

                         

These scarce potin coins, with their simple and elegant design, did not name the king and were issued from the reign of Rudrasimha 1 to Damasena, weight 1.36 gm Obverse: Elephant standing right, cluster of dots (sun) and crescent moon above, Reverse: Crescent three-arched hill (chaitya), river below, crescent moon at left, sun at right, date below off flan. (232 AD attributed to Damasena.)

                         

Coin of Western Satrap Damasena 232 AD. The minting date here 153 in Brahmi numerals of the Saka era, therefore 232 AD, clearly appears behind the head of the king.

    

They had a total of 27 independent rulers during a period of about 350 years.  In the 2nd to 4th century AD, Ujjain was their Centre. The power of the Western Satraps started to decline in the 2nd century AD, after the Saka rulers were defeated by Emperor Gautmiputra Satkarni of the Satavahana dynasty. After this the Saka kingdom revived, but was ultimately destroyed by Chandragupta II of the Gupta Empire in the 4th century AD. 

                                             

Western Kshatrapa, Kardamaka, weight 1.72 gm, Obverse: Elephant standing right, cluster of dots (sun) and crescent moon above, Reverse: Crescent three-arched hill (chaitya), river below, crescent moon at left, sun at right, date below off flan. 147 in Brahmi script, Saka Era or 225 AD.        

                                       

Western Kshatrapa, Kardamaka, weight 1.52 gm, Obverse: Elephant standing right, cluster of dots (sun) and crescent moon above, Reverse: Crescent three-arched hill (chaitya), river below, crescent moon at left, sun at right, date below off flan. 153 in Brahmi script, Saka Era or 232 AD.     

                         

Audumbaras and Coins

 

Audumbara is one of the most prominent ancient Himachal Pradesh tribes. They lived in the lower hill region of Himachal Pradesh somewhere between Chamba and Sirmaur and their capital is said to be known by the name of Kotesvara. They find mention in Mahabharata and other historical texts as well as was mentioned as Odemboerce by Pliny in his book ''Historia Naturalis''. Six of their coins were found at Pathankot along with Indo Greek and Kushan coins. A large number of their coins were found at Irippal in Kangra District. On the basis of provenances of their coins, Audumbaras has been located in the area formed by the valley of the Beas or the wider region between the upper Sutlej and the Ravi.

                       

Audumbara, Bhagvata Mahadeva, silver Drachm

 

According to Mahabharata, the Audumbar were descendants of sage Vishvamitra, who is the founder of gotra ''Kauskika" and were settled in the route of Taxila to the Gangetic valley and Magadha to Kashmir. Buddhist scholar Chandragomin referred them as a section of the Shalvas and are mentioned in ''Satapatha Brahmana". They are believed to be of Indo-Greek origin and converted to Hinduism in the 1st century BC.  

                       

Location of the Audumbaras

 

Numismatic consideration tends to place the Audumbaras in the period extending from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD, however, literary references indicate that they flourished long before the 2nd century BC. Panini's reference says they existed in the 5th century BC.  During the period from 2nd century BC to 1st century AD, they had an independent status and they issued coins. It is just possible that they too might have submitted to the Mighty Maurya like the other two tribes of the area, Kuninda and the Yaudheya, and may have again emerged after the fall of the Mauryas. There is no coinage attributed to them in the 3rd and 4th century AD.

The Audumbara coins were struck in the name of the community and the king. They have legends in both Kharosthi and Brahmi. Those with Kharosthi script indicate the time about 100 BC and these coins resemble the hemi drachms of the Greek prince Apollodotus and have been found together with them. The Audumbara coins are very rare and on the basis of the metal and their shapes they may be grouped into three classes. Firstly, a series of square copper pieces, secondly, a few silver issues and thirdly, a group of round copper billon coins, without any names. The various symbols found on these coins include, a bearded human figure, an elephant, a tree in enclosure, a trident with battleaxe, a pointed roofed temple, three-arched hill and a lion. The coins bear identical legends that reveal the faith in Shaivism. The word Mahadeva is commonly used also. Later issues also depict the worship of Kartikeya. We know of a number of Audumbara kings, Sivadasa, Rudradasa, Dharaghosha and Mahadeva. These names show a very clear Shaivaite association. The trident with axe, also called the Trident-Battleaxe, appears to have been their standard.

Coins of Audumbaras

                       

Audambara, Mahadeva, 150-130 BC, silver, Drachm, weight 2.2 gm, Obverse: Elephant standing on platform facing right with trident-battle axe standard in front, Brahmi legend around, ''Bhagvata Mahadevasa Rajaraja'', Reverse: humped bull standing facing right with lotus in front, kharoshti legend around.

                         

Audumbara, Bhagvata Mahadeva, silver, Drachm, weight 2.3 gm, Obverse: Humped bull to right with a dotted circle, lotus flower under head to right, above swastika symbol and srivatsa above bull, Tritantna at the back, wavy line below Kharosthi legend '' Bhagvata  Mahadevasa and rajaraja'', Reverse: Elephant standing on platform facing right, front of trident battle-axe, swastika symbol, Brahmi legend around.

                         

Audambaras, Sivadasa, copper, weight 2.6 gm, Obverse: In a square incuse tree on left, forepart of an elephant to left, wavy line below and Kharosthi legend, Reverse: Double storied temple with pillars with trident axe on right, Brahmi legend around.                       

                     

Audumbaras, Rudradasa, 100 BC, copper, weight 2.8 gm, Obverse: A three storied temple with an axe shafted and a ribboned trident on right field, Brahmi legend ''Mahadevasa Rana Odubarisa , Reverse: a tree within railings and the forepart of an elephant to the right field, Kharoshti legend ''Mahadevasa Rana''.

                         

Audumbara, Sivadasa, 100 BC, copper, weight 2.7 gm, Obverse: three storied temple with an axe shafted and ribboned trident on the right, Brahmi legend ''Mahadevasa'' around Reverse: a tree within railing and the forepart of an elephant on the right field, wavy line below, 

Audumbaras

Coins of Audumbaras

Panchala Kingdom and Coins

 

When the Mauryan Empire collapsed, many new kingdoms emerged on its ruins. One such kingdom to emerge in Northern India was Panchala. This had been one of the 16 Mahajanapadas in the time of the Buddha. Draupadi one of the central characters of the Hindu epic, the Mahabharata was a Panchala princess. This Janapada had been absorbed by Magadha as it pursued its program of expansion. But now the kingdom was reconstituted under the Mitra kings who issued wonderful series of coins. Almost all the Panchala coins carry the name of the issuing king in Brahmi letters. 

                          

Panchala dynasty, Vishnumitra, half karshapana, 20-10 BC, 

                       

Late Vedic Period, 1100-500 BC, Panchala Janapada.

                         

       Mahajanapada, 500 BC, Panchala.

These are some of the earliest indigenous Indian coins to carry legends. They typically carried an image of the deity on the obverse. Most often, the deity closely associated with the names of issuing ruler, and an incuse punch on the reverse which had the legend bearing the king's name along with the three symbols of the Panchala kingdom.  But generally accepted period of the series of coins is about 150 BC to 125 AD. This is followed by a gap during the ascendancy of the Kushan Empire which in turn was followed by a re-establishment of the Panchala dynasty during 300 to about 350 AD. 

                      

Panchala Kingdom, Vishnumitra, 20-10 BC, copper, weight 4.8 gm, half karshapana, with the name written in legend. 

The Panchala king Achyuta was defeated by Samudragupta and therefore they may have been contemporaries.

Ayodhya (Saketa) and Coins

 

Ayodhya is a city situated on the banks of Sarayu River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was historically known as Saketa. This older name is attested in Sanskrit, Jain, Buddhist, Greek and Chinese sources. Ancient Indian Sanskrit language epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata mention Ayodhya, which was the capital of the legendary Ikshvaku kings of Kosala, including Rama. Neither these texts nor the Vedas, mention a city called Saketa. Sanskrit texts such as Panini's Ashtadhyayi (500 BC), and Patajali's commentary on it, do mention Saketa. The earliest of the Buddhist Pali-language texts and the Jain Prakrit language texts mention a city of the Kosala Mahajanpada. Topographical indications in both Buddhist Pali language texts and the Jain Prakrit language texts mention a city called Saketa is the same as the present-day Ayodhya.  

                        

Ayumitra, Ayodhya, 3rd Century AD. Brahmi legend ''Ayumitrasa''.

                       

  Ayodhya on the Map of Uttar Pradesh, India.

                     

     Late Vedic Period, Kosala, 1100-500 BC.

                      

          Mahajanapadas, Kosala, 500 BC.

Ayodhya had developed into an urban settlement by the fifth or sixth century BC. Ancient Buddhist text Samyutta Nikaya (a collection finalized in the Pre-Sectarian period, around 250 BC) state that Saketa was located in Kosala kingdom. It is not clear what happened to Saketa after Kosala was conquered by emperor Ajatashatru around fifth century BC. After decline of the Maurya empire, Saketa appears to have come under rule of Pushyamitra Shunga. The Yuga Purana states that Saketa was ruled by seven powerful kings after the retreat of the Greeks. The Vayu Purana (started around 350 BC) and the Brahmanda Purana (4th century BC) also state that seven powerful kings ruled in the capital of Kosala. The historicity of these kings is attested by the discovery of the coins of the Deva dynasty kings, including Dhanadeva, whose inscription describes him as the king of Kosala.

                     

The Dhanadeva Ayodhya inscription, first century BC. Present location Ranopali Monastery, Shri Udasin Sangat Rishi Ashram.

   

After Deva kings, Saketa appears to have been ruled by the Dutta, Kushan and Mitra kings. Saketa appears to have remained a prosperous town during the Kushan rule. Before or after Kushans, Saketa appears to have been ruled by a dynasty of kings whose name ended in ''Mitra''. and whose coins have been found at Ayodhya. The Mitra dynasty kings are attested by their coinage. Sangha Mitra, Vijaya Mitra, Satya Mitra, Deva Mitra and Arya Mitra. 

Around the 4th century AD, the region came under control of the Guptas who revived. Brahmanism. Later, the capital of the Gupta Empire was moved from Pataliputra to Ayodhya by Skandagupta.  

                        

Ayodhya, Ayumitra, 3rd century AD, copper weight 8.0 gm, Obverse: Bull left and legendary "Ayumitrasa", ribboned spear to left Reverse: peacock facing palm tree, wavy lines below.

                         

Ayodhya, Satyamitra, 1st century BC, copper, weight 7.5 gm, Obverse: Bull facing left, Brahmi legend'' Satyamitrasa'', Reverse: Rooster/ Peacock facing palm tree.