Search


CNG Bidding Platform

Information

Products and Services



Research Coins: Electronic Auction

 
374, Lot: 694. Estimate $100.
Sold for $240. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

MALAY ARCHIPELAGO, Native Kingdoms. Srivijaya Kingdom. 11th-13th centuries. Tin (11mm, 1.83 g, 10h). Turtle / Conch shell with three arms(?). Cf. Elsen 126, lot 1363-5 (for series). For a gold coin from the series, cf. CNG 102, lot 1354. VF.


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 the 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.