Classical Numismatic Group, LLC
Auction 102 18 May 2016
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MALAY ARCHIPELAGO, Native Kingdoms. Srivijaya Kingdom. 11th-13th centuries. AV Half Tahil(?) (18mm, 18.24 g). Makara fish left / Uncertain Devanagari (?) legends. Mitchiner, South –; Millies –; Ibrahim Langkawi, Pengenalan Matawang Alam Melayu Zaman Traditional (Malaysia. 2015), p. 104; Sedgewick 18, lot 167; Elsen 126, lot 1356; Noble 107, 2016 = Noble 106, 4210 (all from same dies). Near VF, usual off-center strike.
This unusual coin belongs to an unstudied series from the Malay archipelago. The series apparently consists of a variety of tin pieces bearing various animals, often with a letter or a floral reverse (cf. Elsen 128, 1639-45), and a single gold type. The metals are linked by virtue of a shared type, the fish with a complex and as-yet unread reverse legend (Elsen 126, lot 1365). It is not yet clear what weight standard these gold pieces belong to, with known examples weighing between 17.21 and 18.24 grams, all from the same dies. It is possible that, rather than a proper coinage, these pieces are currency ingots struck on a variable standard.
This unusual coin belongs to an unstudied series from the Malay archipelago. The series apparently consists of a variety of tin pieces bearing various animals, often with a letter or a floral reverse (cf. Elsen 128, 1639-45), and a single gold type. The metals are linked by virtue of a shared type, the fish with a complex and as-yet unread reverse legend (Elsen 126, lot 1365). It is not yet clear what weight standard these gold pieces belong to, with known examples weighing between 17.21 and 18.24 grams, all from the same dies. It is possible that, rather than a proper coinage, these pieces are currency ingots struck on a variable standard.