The first attempt at a British Trade Dollar, the Portcullis coinage was produced for the British East India Company, newly formed in 1600, to compete with Spanish Real pieces. To further this end, the weight of a Testern was standardized at 52.85 grains, equivalent to that of a single Spanish Real. The competition with the Spanish 8 Reales coinage never materialized, leaving the initial strikes of the 8 Testerns and the fractional types as the only examples produced for a brief one-year window. The idea of British Trade coinage would not be revisited until 1895, well after Britain had established herself as the preeminent global power in the age of Exploration. To view all items from the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection, click here.
From the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection.
Estimate: $15000 - $25000