"The 11-year-old Admiral Gardner was an East Indiaman, one of the proud, tall ships that made the regular and perilous journey between England and India during the 18th and 19th centuries. 145 feet in length, she was captained by William John Eastfield, a man who already made the journey many times in the past. He knew the hazards the trip had in store, and as he set sail from Deptford, on the River Thames, that day in 1809, he would already have been studying the latest charts.

Part of his cargo consisted of coins to be used by the British East India Company. The majority on these coins were copper 10 cash that were struck at the Soho mint in Birmingham, England. The copper for these coins came from the Rose Copper Co. in Cornwall. They were selected because their copper deposits contained significant amounts of silver. Consequently, each of the cash coins contains some silver. The arms of the East India Co. are on the obverse, above the date. The reverse bears a mughul inscription and an "X" denoting the denomination of ten cash.

As the ship left the safety of the River Thames and proceeded beyond the Straits of Dover, a very sudden storm developed that pushed the ship on to the Goodwin Sands. These sands were named for the eleventh century earl of Goodwin, whose now-submerged lands the sands once were. When the earl's son, King Harold II, was slain at the Battle of Hastings, the Norman conqueror confiscated his property and it is said that it was the earl himself whose curse caused the waters to slowly encroach over the land, a trap for unwary seaman for all eternity.

Some seaman were rescued as the ship bore the thunderous waves but others, unfortunately, lost their lives.

After a half century, all trace of the ship had been lost and she was just another entry in Lloyd's Register.

Finally in 1985, with modern equipment, the wreck was discovered and some of its treasure, like the 10 cash shown here, were recovered."

Here is the next coin:

These US 5c-sized bronze coins are "duits" ("cents") issued by the Dutch East Indies Company ("VOC") for use in the orient in the Spice trade in the 1700s and 1800s. Most were headed for Indonesia, though these coins were also in circulation in other areas, such as the Straits area (Malaysia, Borneo), and India/Sri Lanka. So it's a relic of the spice trade, and that's where its true value lies, in history. This particular coin was found buried with a bunch of similar coins on a beach in Sri Lanka. There were millions issued, so it isn't rare albiet interesting.

So, what about you guys? Do you collect any other antique items? I also have a 1937 Westhinghouse Tombstone radio and a 1910 Columbia Granafola that I restored about 18 years ago. Both work great. I used to have a pile of antique radios but sold them off over the years.

I also have some old newspapers including one from the great flood in London Ontario in 1937.

I just love old things. Heck, even my wife is older than me!

Todd