‘Elephant & Castle’ Why so contentious?

[Britannia47]

This is bit of a quiz question, although some may already know. 

If you ask the locals in the Borough of Southwark, S. London, they may well say it’s an Underground Station on the Northern Line, the name of a Pub, or shopping centre with statue, or even the avatar of a TSF member @ccfcpaul ! Yes, it’s all those things, but in reality it represented something ‘dark’ and sinister in the past. 
 

Clues are these:- 1) 17th century gold coins, and a recent Bank of England exhibition related to this emblem. It’s  a fascinating piece of History.

[Britannia47]

OK, Here’s another clue - the Emblem of the Royal Africa Company…

Founded by James II, and its links to the Monarchy.

 

[Britannia47]

The Royal Africa Company had competition from the East India Company and the South Sea Company - 2 other Trading Companies, as well as dealing with the French, Dutch, Portuguese and even the Danish! All these had bases/ fortifications along the Atlantic and Bay of Guinea coast from the Gambia to Nigeria. It was a very lucrative business. The RAC had only 3 things in mind - Gold, Ivory, and SLAVES!  Gold was shipped back to the RM to be minted into Guineas. Thousands of elephants were slaughtered for their ivory, and of course thousands of slaves were shipped across the Atlantic. At the time many slaves were branded with either RAC or DoY. Before James II became King, he was known as the Duke of York, being the brother of Charles II, so he had his own brand!. 

Photos show how some guineas had a sort of privy mark of an elephant under the monarchs effigy, this one William and Mary.

Perhaps after statues of slave traders were pulled down, the B of E decided to hold an exhibition of its links with the slave trade. It made uncomfortable viewing.

So for me the RACs Elephant & Castle emblem will always be a reminder of those awful times.

[Stuntman]

Always good to be reminded of the history behind these.  Thanks for sharing.

The Elephant and Castle mark also appears on a few silver coins: 1681 shillings and halfcrowns I think.  These are pretty rare, and sought after by some collectors.  The Elephant on its own appears on some silver shillings and halfcrowns dated 1666.

There are lots of variants to collect in Charles II silver for those with deep pockets!

[Stuntman]

A quick search shows this one that sold at auction 10 years ago.  No more than 20 such coins known, according to the article:

https://www.coinworld.com/news/world-coins/finest-known-elephant---castle-half-crown-in-heritage-sale.html