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1/2 Cent Pattern
| Issuer | North Borneo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central square frame with a round hole pierced at its center, from which four diagonal lines radiate outward to the rim, dividing the field into four triangular segments. Arabic inscriptions are distributed across all four segments and within the square frame, reading the full royal title and regnal date. The legend references Sultan Muhammad Jamala'l-A'zam and the Hijri year 1295 (corresponding to 1878 AD). The entire design is enclosed within a beaded or toothed border running along the coin's outer edge. The overall layout is geometric and calligraphic in character, consistent with Malay sultanate monetary tradition. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Additional information |
North Borneo in 1878 was barely a functioning state — the British North Borneo Provisional Association had received its royal charter only that year, and the territory's coinage system was entirely unresolved. Pattern pieces from this moment exist because the new administration needed to demonstrate seriousness of commercial intent, both to local traders and to London. Whether this particular piece ever advanced toward a struck circulation issue is unclear; the Singh reference places it firmly in the experimental record, but production quantities were almost certainly negligible.