£4,000
Singapore & Mauritius copper pattern piedfort mule 50 Sous dated 1824 with the crest and motto of the East India Company. EF. Only two other examples can be traced; one having been lot 808 in the Pridmore Collection part 2, Glendinings 18-19/10/1982; and another sold by Heritage May 30, 2008, lot 52192 ($9775 incl. premium). Heritage stated the EIC side was prepared by the Calcutta Mint for 1/3 Cents of Singapore, which were never issued. A small number of re-strikes are recorded as having been made in 1924 (including four in copper), whether or not these were paired with Mauritius reverses is not known. Heritage's example was catalogued as a possible Calcutta restrike owing to a die fault across the date (which the present exhibits) but also stated that Pridmore's had this fault and was not described as such. If this pattern represents a proposed design for a coin of Mauritius, it might indicate some discussion of the EIC being granted administration of Mauritius. The date 1824 would coincide with the outbreak of the disastrous Anglo-Burmese War, which may have put an end to such discussion - the EIC having been reduced in stature. Otherwise it may have been a convenient pair of dies for putting together a curiosity in Calcutta in the 1920s.
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