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1 Cash - Zhong Shi
| Issuer | Bangka Island (Indonesian States) |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 5.08 g |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| 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 | Cast tin cash coin featuring a central square perforation framed by a raised square border. Two Chinese characters are placed horizontally flanking the central hole: the character 中 (zhong, meaning 'middle' or a surname) to the right and 仕 (shi, meaning 'official' or a surname) to the left. The field is plain and unadorned, with a broad raised rim encircling the coin. The style follows the traditional East Asian cash coin format, with bold, simply rendered characters in low relief. |
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| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Bangka Island's tin cash were not issued by a sovereign government but by the Dutch colonial mining administration, which needed small-denomination tokens to pay and supply the Chinese contract laborers working the island's extensive tin mines. Bangka was among the most productive tin sources in the world during the 18th and 19th centuries, and the local economy ran almost entirely on the metal being extracted from the ground — making it a practical inevitability that the coinage itself would be struck from the same material.