For over 70 years, a shipment of British Empire silver lay forgotten at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The bars had been struck in 1942 by His Majesty’s Mint Bombay, destined to support the Allied war effort in South Africa. But when the SS Tilawa was torpedoed en route, the entire cargo vanished beneath the sea, untouched for decades.
Today, a select number of those SS Tilawa silver bars have been recovered and preserved. Monex now offers them as the 1942 Silver EmpireBar™, a limited release of authenticated wartime bullion with documented origin, intact serial numbers, and extraordinary historical pedigree. These are not typical bullion bars. They are preserved artifacts of global conflict and colonial legacy, offering investors the rare chance to hold a tangible piece of history.
The story begins in 1661, when England acquired Bombay as part of Queen Catherine of Braganza’s dowry to King Charles II. This strategic port soon became a critical British colonial trade and administration center. In 1829, that influence expanded with the establishment of His Majesty’s Mint Bombay, which began producing both circulating coinage and large silver ingots for international payments.
For decades, the “H.M. Mint Bombay” hallmark was recognized globally as a symbol of guaranteed purity and reliable silver weight. This reputation was reinforced by the British Empire’s vast minting network and its dominance in global commerce.
During World War II, precious metals were moved globally to support the Allied economies. One such shipment left Mumbai Harbour in November 1942 aboard the SS Tilawa, bound for Durban, South Africa. Onboard were 2,391 silver bars, each weighing over 1,100 troy ounces of .999 fine silver. South Africa had purchased the bullion to support its coinage production and stabilize its wartime economy.
On November 23, 1942, the SS Tilawa was struck by two torpedoes launched from Japanese submarine I-29. The ship sank rapidly, taking 83 tonnes of silver to the ocean floor more than 4 kilometers deep.
In 2014, advances in deep-sea technology enabled a salvage operation to recover part of the Tilawa’s cargo. Among the findings were hundreds of intact, serial-numbered silver bars bearing the hallmark of His Majesty’s Mint Bombay.
The conditions of the ocean floor had preserved these bars much like the shipwreck vessel was a deep blue vault. Their natural blue-grey toning and visible wartime serial numbers make them both visually striking and historically verified.
Unlike most bullion bars, which are melted, reprocessed, or anonymous, the EmpireBar™ stands apart. Each one includes documented wartime provenance, a clear mint hallmark, and verified origin from the 1942 SS Tilawa shipment.
These bars were minted during the final years of British India before its independence in 1947. They offer investors and collectors a combination of substantial silver content and irreplaceable historical value.
The 1942 Silver EmpireBar™ is now available through Monex. With only a limited number preserved, these bars represent one of the rarest offerings ever released to the public.
Each extraordinary silver bar is massive in scale, rich in character, and unlike anything produced in the modern bullion market.
To learn more or reserve your EmpireBar™, contact a Monex account representative today.
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