THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

Drawn and engraved by John Rapkin (Published by The London Printing & Publishing Company about 1856).

Royalty free map available at Steve Bartrick Antique Prints and Maps.

The use of tin currencies issued by the Malay Peninsula was not restricted to areas in the peninsula but extends to a large area in the Malay Archipelago. Although the term Malay Archipelago is widely used, there is no official definition for this area. The widely accepted definition would include Malaysia (the Malay Peninsula, including southern Thailand that connects the Peninsula to the Asian mainland), Brunei, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and islands in the waters surrounded by these large islands. (Source - Bank Negara Malaysia, 1995. Pameran Matawang Perdagangan Kepulauan Melayu (18 Mei - 14 Jun 1995) Unit Muzium Matawang, Bank Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, p. 9.)


Wednesday, May 26, 2010

THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA



The Encyclopaedia of the Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 1400 - 1967 by Saran Singh (1996) covers the obsolete tin coinages of the Malay Peninsula quite extensively. The coverage includes:-

  • Tin Pitis of Malacca, Perak, Kelantan, Patani-Kelantan, Selangor and Brunei,
  • Chinese tin cash coins of Malacca,
  • Tin coinages of Malacca during the Portuguese rule,
  • Tin Katuns of Johor,
  • Tin Jokoh (Private Monetary Tokens) of Johor, Pahang and Terengganu,
  • Tin Tampangs of Pahang,
  • Tin Keping or Pitis of Terengganu,
  • Tin ingots - mount shaped ingots, conical or cylindrical shaped ingots, mountain shaped ingots - Chandi, sugar-loaf type ingots, pyramid or pagoda type ingots - Bidor and pyramid or Pagoda shaped ingots - solid Tampangs of Perak,
  • Tin animal currency in the shapes of tortoise (kura-kura), elephant (gajah), crocodile (buaya), cockerel (ayam), grasshoppers (belalang), fish (ikan) and goat (kambing) of Perak,
  • Tin Tra of Kedah,
  • Tin cockerels perched on rings of Kedah,
  • Tin coins of Penang and
  • Tin coins and tokens of Brunei.
It is known that there are many tin coinages discovered after the publication of Saran Singh's work in 1986 thus these items are unlisted in the encyclopaedia. This blog will seek to explore the items listed above and the unlisted coinages as and when the opportunity arises.
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