COCKEREL PERCHED ON RINGS

This item is the second item of cockerel perched on 2 rings in my collection (the first being the one I am using as my block image avatar and picture link to my Ring Currency blog). The cockerel of this item has strong resemblance of the iconic item in the collection of Bank Negara Malaysia. Looking at the broken mark at the bottom of the lower ring, the item is likely to be an item with more than 2 rings in its original condition.

Tin Ring Currency - Cockerel Perched on Rings

Items from my collection such as this will be posted in my blogs in the future...

AROUND THE NET - CALVIN-MYJOURNEY.BLOGSPOT.COM

The beauty of the internet and information age is abundance of information. As usual, surfing the cyberworld for more information on animal currency I came across this blog. The blog writer made a trip to the Royal Selangor Pewter in September 2008. Included in the photos of his trip are a few items of tin animal money. The tortoise looks similar like the one in the collection of Bank Negara Malaysia leading me to believe that all the items in the photograph belongs to them. There is also a possibility that the items belongs to Royal Selangor Pewter. I should make a visit to find out for sure that is, assuming the items are still on display there. The photograph of the items can be viewed here. The blog writer has nice caption for the photo, I wonder how many animals like this millionaires in the past had in their bank.

TIN AND THE MALAY PENINSULA - PART II OF II

The trading of goods in the early days was based on exchange of goods but subsequently as the local currencies of the respective traders became accepted as trading currencies of these trading centers, these currencies became a trading medium. Over time, local currencies were issued by the early governments. Being a region rich in gold and tin, it was only natural that these metals were used for the currency. Tin that was found in abundance in the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago advanced from goods to trade for to also being used as a trading medium and currency in the form of ingots (blocks or bars), animal ingots and animal figures and conventional coins.

These ingots that were used in the form of lump (block or bar) ingots initially, later evolved into the forms of animals and even insects. Various types of tin blocks were produced; mound-shaped, cone decorated with serrated edges, conical or cylindrical or cylindrical-shaped, mountain or shrine-shaped and sugar loaf-shaped, pyramid or pagoda-shaped and pyramid-shaped with mangosteen rosette pattern [Source: Bank Negara Malaysia, 2005. Malaysia Numismatic Heritage, Corporate Services Department, Bank Negara Malaysia].

The appearance of animal and insect like ingots is also said to have its roots in the tin mining practices and rituals of the tin miners. Intertwined by its purpose in tin mining activities and use as a currency, the reason(s) for the creation of tin animal ingots became a mystery and will remain as one without more records or evidence of their actual use and purpose. The general theory is that these animal and insect like ingots were first made to serve their magical purpose in tin mining and later somehow became accepted as a trading medium.

TIN INGOTS & ANIMAL MONEY - BASIC BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This web page by Bank Negara Malaysia, Money Museum provides good basic background information on tin ingots and animal money.

Here you have some information on how early tin ingots became part of trading activities, their origin, extensiveness of use and their exchange value. Information on animal money touches on the centuries long tin mining activities of the old Malay Peninsula, the minting of tin ingots in animal shapes, their possibles uses and the magical aspects of the animal shaped ingots.

It is important to keep in mind that tin ingots in various shapes were used for centuries. Information such as the recorded exchange value of certain tin ingots represent value that holds true only for that particular point in time. With not much recorded information available, the association of the animal shaped ingots with magic spins mystery out of them.

Useful background information on Tin Animal Money and Tin Ingots can also be found at Wikipedia.