British East Indies (Malaya) 1247 (1832) Keping
Offered is a fascinating ‘Cockrel’ Keping, dated 1247 (1832AD), and generally associated with the Malay Peninsula, this example being of the ‘straight tail / narrow rhombuses’ type, KM#8.2, Singh#SS27. This issue, although often attributed to the island of Sumatra, is actually a shadowy coinage introduced by British merchants at Singapore. The situation in the East Indies was tense in the first part of the 19th century, particularly when dealing with competing Dutch and British claims, with independent merchants regularly being reminded of the absolute authority of each sphere’s colonial administrations. To avoid direct violation of current conventions, these coins were simply labelled as being issued for the ‘Land of the Malay’ - a vague title which eschewed any concrete political, dynastic, or indeed geographic designation.
These coins are not rare by any means, having been issued in quantity across several dates, and indeed in almost innumerable sub-types. This example, although weakly struck, remains problem-free, and remarkably attractive for the type, bearing a distinct Cockrel, as well as a fantastic, even chocolate patina.
Offered is a fascinating ‘Cockrel’ Keping, dated 1247 (1832AD), and generally associated with the Malay Peninsula, this example being of the ‘straight tail / narrow rhombuses’ type, KM#8.2, Singh#SS27. This issue, although often attributed to the island of Sumatra, is actually a shadowy coinage introduced by British merchants at Singapore. The situation in the East Indies was tense in the first part of the 19th century, particularly when dealing with competing Dutch and British claims, with independent merchants regularly being reminded of the absolute authority of each sphere’s colonial administrations. To avoid direct violation of current conventions, these coins were simply labelled as being issued for the ‘Land of the Malay’ - a vague title which eschewed any concrete political, dynastic, or indeed geographic designation.
These coins are not rare by any means, having been issued in quantity across several dates, and indeed in almost innumerable sub-types. This example, although weakly struck, remains problem-free, and remarkably attractive for the type, bearing a distinct Cockrel, as well as a fantastic, even chocolate patina.
Offered is a fascinating ‘Cockrel’ Keping, dated 1247 (1832AD), and generally associated with the Malay Peninsula, this example being of the ‘straight tail / narrow rhombuses’ type, KM#8.2, Singh#SS27. This issue, although often attributed to the island of Sumatra, is actually a shadowy coinage introduced by British merchants at Singapore. The situation in the East Indies was tense in the first part of the 19th century, particularly when dealing with competing Dutch and British claims, with independent merchants regularly being reminded of the absolute authority of each sphere’s colonial administrations. To avoid direct violation of current conventions, these coins were simply labelled as being issued for the ‘Land of the Malay’ - a vague title which eschewed any concrete political, dynastic, or indeed geographic designation.
These coins are not rare by any means, having been issued in quantity across several dates, and indeed in almost innumerable sub-types. This example, although weakly struck, remains problem-free, and remarkably attractive for the type, bearing a distinct Cockrel, as well as a fantastic, even chocolate patina.