Jambi's tin pitis coinage emerged from a sultanate whose wealth was built on pepper and forest products traded through the Batanghari River delta — a commercial artery that Dutch VOC factors were simultaneously trying to control through the late 17th century. The VOC established a formal presence in Jambi in 1615, and by the period of this issue, the relationship between the sultanate and the Company had deteriorated into repeated armed conflict, including a Dutch assault on the capital in 1690.
Tin was mined in the broader Malay world rather than Jambi's own interior, making these coins dependent on regional trade networks even for their raw material.
Jambi's tin pitis coinage emerged from a sultanate whose wealth was built on pepper and forest products traded through the Batanghari River delta — a commercial artery that Dutch VOC factors were simultaneously trying to control through the late 17th century. The VOC established a formal presence in Jambi in 1615, and by the period of this issue, the relationship between the sultanate and the Company had deteriorated into repeated armed conflict, including a Dutch assault on the capital in 1690.
Tin was mined in the broader Malay world rather than Jambi's own interior, making these coins dependent on regional trade networks even for their raw material.