From early 1400' until well past the middle of the 19th. century,
tin ingots in a variety of shapes and sizes were used as money on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula (Shaw & Kassim, 1971)

THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO

Click map for bigger version at my Obsolete Tin Currency blog.

The use of tin currencies issued by the Malay Peninsula was not restricted to areas in the peninsula but extends to a large area in the Malay Archipelago. Although the term Malay Archipelago is widely used, there is no official definition for this area. The widely accepted definition would include Malaysia (the Malay Peninsula, including southern Thailand that connects the Peninsula to the Asian mainland), Brunei, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and islands in the waters surrounded by these large islands. (Source - Bank Negara Malaysia, 1995. Pameran Matawang Perdagangan Kepulauan Melayu (18 Mei - 14 Jun 1995) Unit Muzium Matawang, Bank Negara Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, p. 9.)

CLASSIFICATION OF RING CURRENCY

There is no known classification of the tin Ring Currency. In my yet to be published book entitled The Forgotten Tin Ring Currency of the Malay Peninsula a detailed classification of the currency is made based on research carried out.

The Ring Currency can be classified into the following broad categories..

TYPE A - Ring(s) at the base of the figure.

TYPE B - Figure in between rings.

TYPE C - Ring(s) without figure.

Note - Sub-classification of the above will be revealed in future postings on the blog.

Degree of Scarcity

S - Scarce
R - Rare
RR - Very Rare
RRR - Extremely Rare
RRRR - Highest state of rarity
UNIQUE - Only one piece known to exist

Saturday, May 29, 2010

THE MOST BASIC FORM OF THE RING CURRENCY

The most basic form or type of the Ring Currency is a 1-ring or 2-ring item without any animal element in the design or animal attached to the ring(s). Such items are listed as SS20D in The Encyclopaedia of The Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei 1400 - 1967. (page 260, under Kedah and Perlis)

SS20D

The first item in my collection.

The above is the first Ring Currency item in my collection. What attracted me to collecting these items is the fact that not much is known about them. The item with cockerels (as posted earlier) to me are beautiful items and I thought the only way to learn about them is to embark on the trail of collecting.

The term Ring Currency is not a common term. Saran Singh (1996) refer them as tin cockerels perched on rings and broadly categorize them as Animal Money. Literature covering this subject in late 19 century and early 20 century also did not give them a specific term.

This currency with a ring feature is a unique form of currency of the old Malay Peninsula, it deserves a specific reference. Item with a ring feature, with or without animal feature to me are of a similar category and should not be categorized under Animal Currency, they are the Ring Currency.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)