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1790 Dutch East India Company Duit

Started by Kid Romeo, August 23, 2009, 11:46:18 PM

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Figleaf

Hello Samuel,

Thanks for your comments. These coins, with the arms mintmark, were actually struck in Utrecht in 1790. The same coins with a star mintmark are restrikes, struck in Jawa in 1834 and 1835 (star between dots) and again in 1840-1843 (star without dots).

While the VOC did not colonize what is now Malaysia, it maintained a number of important trading post there. It could do so because it was the most important ally of Johore, which in turn dominated Malaysia. The VOC did not issue any coins specially for Malasia, but circulated its generic coins instead. Evidence of this that we know of several tokens made in Malaysia that are clearly imitations of VOC copper coins.

This situated was what galled Raffles, who was the driving force behind the British colonization of what was to become the "Straits Settlements". Eventually, Atcheh became an independent buffer state between the Dutch and British spheres of influence.

During the Napoleonic wars in Europe, France occupied the Netherlands and followed up by occupying the VOC colonies in what is now Indonesia. They were quickly driven out by the British. Raffles thought of this as an opportunity to take over the Netherlands Indies (as it was known after the Napoleonic wars) against the wishes of his masters in London. He failed, but he did achieve the end of the Dutch influence in Malaysia.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

Samuel Tan

I am very impress.
Do you know that Raffles left 3 Large and Famous Botanical Gardens in Indonesia? It still open until today. One in Bogor, one in Puncak, both near Jakarta and another one in Bali Island. On the last one, I was there 3 years ago.
The biggest flower in the world was named after him, Rafflesia Arnoldii, it smell like rotten flesh.
Samuel Tan

Figleaf

We have a very good bibliography (thanks thelawnet!) of the coins of the Netherlands East Indies and Indonesia on this forum. Click here to see it. I'd recommend that you try to buy the first book on the list, Scholten.

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

thelawnet

Quote from: Figleaf on September 04, 2009, 09:48:06 AM
We have a very good bibliography (thanks thelawnet!) of the coins of the Netherlands East Indies and Indonesia on this forum. Click here to see it. I'd recommend that you try to buy the first book on the list, Scholten.

Peter

This book is also pretty good:

http://www.alltimebooks.com/shop/index.php?productID=49492

And cheap, because it's a reprint (I ordered my copy from there).