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1 Pitis - Sultan Ratu Pangeran al-Patah
| Issuer | Demak, Sultanate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1475-1518 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | Palembang#19, Singh#SS 28A |
| Obverse description | Cast tin flan bearing a multi-line Arabic legend filling the entire field in a characteristic Javanese-Islamic calligraphic style. The inscription, reading 'Sultan Ratu Pangeran al-Patah', is arranged in two or three stacked registers across the coin face, with individual letterforms boldly raised and somewhat roughly rendered as is typical of Southeast Asian cast pitis coinage. The field surface exhibits the slightly porous, granular texture inherent to the casting technique, and no border or decorative frame is present. The overall appearance is characteristic of early Demak Sultanate monetary production from the late 15th to early 16th century. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain, essentially blank reverse, as is typical for cast tin pitis of the Demak Sultanate. The surface displays the characteristic rough, porous texture resulting from the casting process, with no intentional design, inscription, or decorative motif. Minor surface irregularities, casting lines, and a slight central depression are visible, consistent with the production method. The plain reverse is a defining feature of this coin type. |
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| Additional information |
Demak was the first Islamic sultanate on Java, and its emergence in the late fifteenth century marked a decisive break from the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit kingdom it helped dismantle. Ratu Pangeran al-Patah — known also as Raden Patah — is traditionally credited as Demak's founding sultan, and this pitis is among the earliest numismatic evidence of Islamic authority on the island. Tin coinage of this type circulated alongside Chinese cash and trade cloth in a monetary system that was never fully coin-dependent.
Surviving specimens are frequently porous and poorly preserved, a consequence of tin pest and the humid burial conditions common across coastal Java.