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1/2 Cent Pattern
| Issuer | North Borneo |
|---|---|
| Year | 1878 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Copper |
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| Diameter | 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 | Al Sultan Muhammad Jamala`I-a`zam, tahun ba hijra sanat 1295 (Translation: Sultan Muhammad Jamala`l-a`zam year 2 from 1295A.H. (= 1878)) |
| Reverse description | Central square frame with a round hole pierced at its center, mirroring the obverse layout, with four diagonal lines radiating from the square to the rim and dividing the field into four triangular segments. Arabic and Malay inscriptions in Jawi script fill the triangular sections, conveying the monetary value and circulation authority of the piece. The legend states that the coin is petty money current at 200 to the silver dollar. A beaded or toothed border encircles the entire design, consistent with the obverse treatment. The composition is strictly typographic and geometric, with no figurative imagery. |
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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.