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1 Pitis - Muhammad Bahauddin
| Issuer | Palembang, Sultanate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1789 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Central round hole surrounded by a circular field bearing a two-line Arabic legend reading 'Al-Sultan fi balad Palembang' with the AH date 1203, arranged concentrically around the perforation. The inscription is cast in low relief against a plain field, with the text distributed evenly around the hole in a style typical of Southeast Asian tin pitis coinage. The lettering reflects the Jawi-influenced Arabic calligraphic tradition common to Palembang sultanate issues. |
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| Reverse description | Plain, featureless reverse with a central round hole, consistent with the cast tin manufacturing technique typical of Palembang pitis coinage. The surface displays no inscriptions or decorative elements, showing only the flat tin field with natural casting texture and patina surrounding the perforation. |
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| Additional information |
Palembang's tin coinage occupied an awkward position in the late 18th-century Malay monetary world — technically indigenous issues, but shaped entirely by the demands of the Dutch VOC, which controlled the sultanate's pepper trade and had strong opinions about what circulating currency should look like. Muhammad Bahauddin reigned from 1776 to 1803, long enough to see the VOC itself collapse in 1799, though Dutch colonial authority over Palembang continued under a different administrative name.
Tin was the obvious material: South Sumatra had it in abundance, and silver was too valuable to commit to fractional coinage. The pitis denomination served the smallest transactions in the bazaar economy.