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1 Cash - Pangeran Ratu
| Issuer | Sultanate of Banten |
|---|---|
| Year | 1546-1596 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 30.5 mm |
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| Obverse description | Circular hammered copper flan featuring a central hexagonal perforation, around which the legend in Javanese script (Hanacaraka) is arranged in four quadrants filling the field between the hole and the outer rim. The inscription reads 'Pangeran Ratu' (Lord King), rendered in boldly raised Javanese characters in a somewhat archaic, stylized hand characteristic of late sixteenth-century Bantenese coinage. The lettering is separated into groupings by the angles of the hexagonal aperture, creating a visually symmetrical composition. A plain raised rim borders the outer edge of the coin. The overall execution is typical of hammered Southeast Asian cash coinage of the period, with slight irregularities in flan shape and strike depth. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain, uninscribed reverse displaying a smooth to lightly striated copper field surrounding a central hexagonal perforation aligned with the obverse aperture. A concentric raised collar frames the hexagonal hole, and the outer rim is similarly raised and plain. The field bears no legend, device, or decorative motif, exhibiting only the natural texture and patina resulting from hammering and centuries of circulation. The surface shows characteristic wear and dark copper oxidation consistent with authenticated Bantenese cash coinage of the sixteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
Banten's cash coinage emerged from the sultanate's position as one of the most active pepper-trading ports on Java's northwest coast, where Chinese merchant networks — and their familiar cash-coin format — had operated for generations before the sultanate's founding. The adoption of this form was a practical accommodation to existing trade infrastructure, not an imitation.
The sultanate was established by Maulana Hasanuddin, and this type spans the long reign of his successor Maulana Yusuf through to Maulana Muhammad. Dutch VOC records from the earliest Banten contacts in 1596 document these coins in active commercial use at the port market.