Singapore merchant token, keping 1251 Sumatera

Started by bagerap, January 12, 2011, 02:44:34 AM

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bagerap

Can any one give me a SCWC reference for this please.
I believe it to be a Sumatra 2 keping AH 1251, but my Krause has no images of these, only a sketchy description.


Figleaf

This is indeed a nice grade 2 keping 1251 with inscription  Pulau Percha. Listed by KM under Singapore Merchant tokens (rightly so) as Tn4. Scholten 997b. It is illustrated in the latest edition of KM.

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

bagerap

Thank you Peter. My KM (5th edition, 2006) only lists it in proof. Can anyone give me a ball park figure in this condition?
Regards
Bob

Figleaf

This is one of the reasons I mentioned Scholten. His listing is:


997*2 Kepengs (...) (1247) (...)S
Aproof in bronzed copper without sunsRRRR
bas before, dated 1251
Bproof in bronzed copper of No. 997bR

making the 1251 issue the most common. I also have 1251 and it looks nice as well, but, like your piece, it shows no sign of having been a proof strike. In other words: error in KM. Bimat will be sure to report it.

This series was produced in Birmingham. I presume a few proofs were made after each order so the design could be approved. This would explain why the 1247 prof has no suns: the design was not approved as submitted and the suns were added.

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

kriyasa

Nice 2 Kepings and named Pulu Pertcha (i.e. Sumatera island) Nice grade..i ..it's hard to get this coin from Indonesia. I wonder whether it is hard to obtain abroad?

Kriyasa

Figleaf

The Singapore merchant tokens are not easy to find but when you find them, there are usually a handful of them, suggesting they come from a broken up collection. I found most of mine in te fixed price lists of US dealers and a few in the Netherlands (they tend to be more expensive there.) I imagine that they would be popular in the UK also.

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

kriyasa

Quote from: Figleaf on January 12, 2011, 06:31:37 PM
The Singapore merchant tokens are not easy to find but when you find them, there are usually a handful of them, suggesting they come from a broken up collection. I found most of mine in te fixed price lists of US dealers and a few in the Netherlands (they tend to be more expensive there.) I imagine that they would be popular in the UK also.

Peter

I wonder why you are using "The Singapore merchant tokens ", as I remember this coin is for trading in Sumatera, and made by the British.

The Pulu Percha alone means Sumatera. The book The Coins of the Dutch ..... by C. Scholten, in page 125-126 only mentioned one time Singapore, to explain about CR READ.

I think we should use Sumatera Coins instead.

Figleaf

The British had no power in Sumatra after Raffles was at last persuaded to leave. The keping was not a Dutch denomination.

All cock duits and similar coppers with a value in keping, with the probable exception of the piece for Sarawak share a common history. They were produced in Birmingham on order of merchants in Singapore. This is most clearly shown on the token inscribed C. R. Read. Read was a Singapore merchant (and the honorary consul of the Netherlands in Singapore.)

The first tokens were straight imitations of Dutch silver and copper coins, with some mistakes made on purpose. I can show you these, if you wish. The Dutch authorities objected strongly against them. The second series was the cock duits and other kepings and double kepings, lightweight coppers with fantasy inscriptions and dates (I think they were produced somewhere between 1825 and 1850.) The Dutch authorities did not accept these either for circulation in what is now Indonesia.

The purpose of the tokens (besides making a good profit for the Singapore merchants) was to provide copper specie at a time when it was severely lacking. Copper was always imported, but the situation was made much worse by the Napoleonic wars and subsequent decimalization, which you can read about more here. Since the Dutch were unable to provide copper coins for the Netherlands Indies, they could not stop the circulation of these tokens, even if they were made illegal.

It is important to note that the places on the tokens are fictitious also. In fact, all tokens circulated everywhere in Singapore, what is now Indonesia, Sarawak and large parts of what is now Malaysia. Saran Singh shows contemporary imitations of several types, made in Malaysia. Also, we know of a gambling game in Singapore, where two gamblers would each produce a keping. If they were the same, the challenged party would win and take the other coin. If they were different, the challenger would win and take both coins. This is sometimes quoted as a reason why the more unusual pieces are often in nice condition: gamblers would keep them, rather than circulate them.

Therefore, these series have at least three "nationalities", but not the one in the legend, they are not coins and you cannot trust the date. That doesn't mean they are uninteresting, of course. Just that you have to know their history.

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

kriyasa

Nice story Peter.

Could you tell me more on this and let me know if you have good refference on the story behind this Singapore Merchant Token, because I have also some of it in my collection.

"The first tokens were straight imitations of Dutch silver and copper coins, with some mistakes made on purpose. I can show you these, if you wish."

Please do put the picture on this thread.

Is there any standard weight for this "Singapore Merchant Token", and why it is named differently with islands in Indonesia and Malaysia, such as: Pulu Percha, Negeri Selangor etc.? Why not just stated  "Singapore Merchant Token" instead?

this is one of my collection:




kriyasa

I buy the above coin from Ebay long time ago, so that would explain the signature photo on the right below of the picture.

sinial

The best reference for Singapore merchant token is definitely the following one.

Major Fred Pridmore
Coins and Coinages of the Straits Settlements and British Malaya 1786-1951
1968 Second Edition

Also his early catalog:

The Coins of The British Commonwealth of Nations Part 2. Asian Territories

Figleaf

Quote from: kriyasa on January 14, 2011, 02:22:54 AM
Please do put the picture on this thread.

Before I had my scanner problem and backlog solved, sinial came up with an amazing collection here. Some points to distinguish these coins from genuine coins:

2 stuivers Utrecht - I.F.C, rather than I.E.C
2 stuivers Holland - letters and figures misaligned, struck in collar, toothed border
1/4 stuiver - struck in collar, pearl border

Quote from: kriyasa on January 14, 2011, 02:22:54 AM
Is there any standard weight for this "Singapore Merchant Token", and why it is named differently with islands in Indonesia and Malaysia, such as: Pulu Percha, Negeri Selangor etc.? Why not just stated  "Singapore Merchant Token" instead?

The Singapore merchant tokens are severely underweight. Therefore, the merchants wanted them to look as official as possible. The names, dates and denominations were used to confuse people who would not know which coins had been issued on other islands.

The reference books sinial mentions are very good, but expensive and difficult to find. Scholten's book is probably easier, but it has less background information. All these books were written a long time ago. That's why Saran Singh's book "The coins of Malaysia Singapore and Brunei" may be your best bet.

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