NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES: CELEBES: AE keping, Celebes, AH1250, KM-Tn1, Prid-53, Singapore Merchants token, buginese tanah ugi (Land of the Bugis-Celebes) // seuwa duwi (one duit), in barbarous Jawi script, PCGS graded AU58. Celebes, now known as Sulawesi, is one of the four Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. Singapore merchant tokens circulated in the Netherlands East Indies, as that was the intention of the issuers. These were forbidden to circulate by the Dutch authorities although they didn't offer an alternative, so the ban had little effect. Most have evasive inscriptions, notably dates and region names. All circulated indiscriminately among the islands as well as in Singapore, regardless of the area name on them and regardless of whether the area is today in Indonesia or Malaysia. Many of these types were struck at the Birmingham mint circa 1829-1853.
Estimate: 50-75 USD