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Cockerel Ring Money
| Issuer | Kedah, Sultanate of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1710-1773 |
| Type | Proto coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Cast tin proto-currency of highly distinctive form, presenting a stylized cockerel in profile at the upper terminal, with elaborately rendered tail feathers splaying outward to the left and a prominent comb and wattle visible at the head. Below the bird, a vertical shaft comprises a series of six open annular rings of uniform diameter, each separated by small lozenge-shaped or biconvex connectors that lend a rhythmic, articulated structure to the piece. The entire object is cast in one piece, exhibiting the characteristic surface texture and slight irregularities typical of traditional Malay tin casting. No inscriptions or legends are present. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse presents the same cast form as the obverse, the piece being fully three-dimensional and symmetrical in its construction, showing the reverse aspect of the cockerel finial at the upper terminal with tail feathers extending to the right from this perspective. The column of six open annular rings with their intervening biconvex connectors is visible in full, the surfaces displaying natural casting flow lines and minor surface patination consistent with aged tin. The piece bears no reverse legends, inscriptions, or decorative devices beyond its inherent architectural form. The lowermost ring serves as the terminal element of the shaft. |
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| Additional information |
Kedah's tin ring money circulated across the northern Malay Peninsula at a time when the sultanate was navigating tribute relationships with both Siam and the emerging British East India Company presence. Tin was the economic backbone of the region — Kedah controlled significant upstream deposits — and these cast pieces functioned as genuine transactional currency rather than ceremonial objects, despite their appearance.
The Singh reference places this squarely within a taxonomy that remains the primary scholarly authority on Malay tin coinage, a field still underrepresented in Western numismatic literature.