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Nederlands Indie - South Borneo? Maluka? Banjarmasin?

Started by Afrasi, November 23, 2008, 03:29:23 PM

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Afrasi

Hi Peter!

This is my first try to scan and post pictures to a forum. If it works, I am interested, if you know this coin/token/fake.

Afrasi







Afrasi

Ups! It worked! :-) I will try to get the reverse, too, inside.

BC Numismatics

Alexander,
  This is from Maluka.The coins from that short-lived state are pretty rare.I've never been offered any coins from there.

Aidan.

Rangnath

Congratulations Afrasi!  Your first post was perfect.  We look forward to many more.
richie

Rangnath

Aidan,
I can not locate this coin.  Where should I look?  I did look under "Maluka", but the catalog does not present images. The descriptions, however, do not suggest that this coin is from Maluka.  What is the Persian legend say? It is not the "adil" (just) in British India coins, so what is it? 
richie

BC Numismatics

Richie,
  The balemark on the reverse indicates that this coin was issued under British influence.Maluka's coins have traditionally been listed under 'Indonesia',but I'm not sure how the 19th. Century Krause is arranged these days.

Aidan.

Afrasi

Aidan! Do you have a catalogue number for your statement???

I think, too, that this coin may be from one of the spurious and mysterious mint places in the South of Borneo. I have some more pieces perhaps belonging to this numismatically not well researched region.
I will wait for Peter's answer.

Afrasi

BC Numismatics

Alexander,
  I do not have a current Krause catalogue at all.My copy of Krause is ancient - the 1981 one,that is!

The balemark is on coins that were issued under British rule or suzerainty.

You could always email some photos to Vladimir Belyaev at bel@zenon.net .

Aidan.


Afrasi

Why are you sure, that this is Maluka? Maluka was my second choice in guessing, my first one was Banjarmasin.

Yes, perhaps I will send it to Zeno or directly to Jan van Lingen later. There are some more of my coins - scanned and sent by a friend - at Zeno. But I wanted to send this one here first, because Peter is a specialist in Dutch Colonial Coins and I like this forum.  :)

Afrasi


BC Numismatics

Alexander,
  The balemark is the symbol of the United East India Company - the British one,that is!

When you do rescan the coin,please make sure that the whole coin is depicted,as Maluka's coins were struck in 1812 & 1813,plus the AH equivilant of those 2 years.

Aidan.

Afrasi

Hello Aidan! I know the bale mark very well. But this mark is not a guarantee for Maluka.

Banjarmasin was a "mint" specialized in forgeries. In 1778 the Government of India gave an official warning of fake coins coming from there. When the Scotsman Alexander Hare came to power in southern Borneo, this was the end of the neighboured Sultanate of Pontianak, which stroke coins with the scales and 'Adil between. But it was not the end of the Banjarmasin "mint". So this could well be a coin of Banjarmasin (under Alexander Hare) made for Pontianak. The local people could not read the Arabic 'Adil or Western numerals. So these parts of the coin are degenerated. They could "read" the the scales as on their ealier coins and the bale mark as on the british coins, which circulated largely in whole South East Asia. After the return of the area to the Dutch, it would not make much sense to use the bale mark longer.

Afrasi

BC Numismatics

Alexander,
  Alexander Hare had connections with Maluka,not Banjarmasin or Pontianak,as Banjarmasin & Pontianak had their own Sultans,whereas,Maluka didn't.

Alexander Hare was also the same guy who ended up temporarily in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands at the same time as John Clunies Ross (who became the first King of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands).

Aidan.

Afrasi

Believe me! Banjarmasin was under Alexander Hare, too!

BC Numismatics

Alexander,
  The only coin from Banjarmasin that is listed in Krause is a 1 Keping dated AH1221.The obverse has 'BANJARMASIN' in Arabic,& the reverse has the date & the denomination.

Your coin could be an unlisted 1 Keping from Maluka.

Banjarmasin was a local monarchy with its own Sultan,as was Pontianak.Alexander Hare could not have ruled either of those 2 states,so Maluka was the only state in Kalimantan that he was the ruler of.

You should get in touch with Oesho (who is Jan Lingen,by the way!),& he can post up some photos on Zeno to seek confirmation.

Aidan.

Afrasi

There exist more coins from Banjarmasin, than KM shows! You will find two of them in the catogue from Netscher/van der Chijs, plate XXVI. In the same book you can read, that Hare did struck coins for Banjarmasin.

Afrasi