1 Fanam Cochin Mint

The VOC began striking fanams at Cochin after the Dutch seized the port from the Portuguese in 1663, inheriting both the mint infrastructure and a local economy already accustomed to the tiny gold denomination. Fanams had circulated along the Malabar Coast for centuries before any European power arrived, and the Dutch were pragmatic enough to continue issuing a coin the pepper and spice trade demanded rather than imposing a foreign monetary unit.

The .585 fineness matches indigenous fanam standards closely — deliberate, not incidental. Deviating from established purity would have collapsed merchant confidence immediately in a market where coin quality was tested by touch and bite daily.