Catalog
1/2 Bazaruco Portuguese Malacca, Dutch issue
| Issuer | Dutch East India Company (VOC) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Tin |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A plain Greek cross occupies the central field, its four arms of equal length extending toward the coin's periphery. The cross is encircled by a continuous border of large raised pellets (dots), evenly spaced around the circumference of the flan. The design is boldly cast with no surrounding legend, consistent with the austere emergency coinage produced by the Dutch at Malacca following their capture of the port in 1641. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Malacca |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
After the VOC seized Malacca from the Portuguese in 1641, the Dutch faced an immediate practical problem: the local bazaruco tin coinage was deeply embedded in the petty trade economy of the Strait, and simply replacing it wasn't viable. Their solution was to continue striking recognizable fractional tin pieces through local facilities rather than import specie from Batavia. This issue belongs to that transitional moment — Dutch authority, Portuguese monetary architecture.
Tin coinage from Malacca suffers notoriously from "tin pest" degradation in humid equatorial storage, making structurally intact survivors genuinely scarce regardless of grade.