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Pitis Bunga
| Issuer | Brunei |
|---|---|
| Year | 1618-1868 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 20 mm |
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| Obverse description | The entire field is covered by an elaborate stylised floral arabesque motif, rendered in high relief, comprising scrolling petals and foliate forms radiating concentrically from a central boss pierced with a small hole. The design fills the flan to the periphery, with the outermost zone delimited by a beaded border of closely spaced dots. No legends or inscriptions appear on this face; the decorative vocabulary reflects traditional Malay-Islamic ornamental style. |
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| Reverse description | The reverse repeats the characteristic floral arabesque design, with concentric layers of stylised petals and scrolling foliate elements in high relief radiating outward from a central rosette. The composition fills the entire field in a dense, symmetrical pattern, terminating at a beaded dot border that defines the coin's periphery. As on the obverse, no inscriptions or legends are present, consistent with the purely ornamental character of this type of Brunei pitis. |
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| Additional information |
The pitis was Brunei's primary small-change currency for over two centuries, cast rather than struck — a production method inherited from Chinese cash coin traditions and common across maritime Southeast Asia. The tin-lead alloy was locally sourced, Brunei's interior having accessible tin deposits that made this a genuinely domestic coinage rather than one dependent on imported metal. Dozens of die varieties exist across the 250-year span, many attributable only broadly to sultanate reigns, and attribution remains contested among specialists.