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Tampang Tin Hat - Jiu Li
| Issuer | Sultanate of Pahang (Islamic states of Malaysia) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1820 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Chinese/Arabic |
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| Reverse description | Plain, concave reverse displaying the characteristic deep square cavity at the centre, a structural consequence of the casting process used to produce these tampang hat coins. The reverse field is entirely unadorned, with rough, uneven tin surfaces reflecting the simple sand- or clay-mould casting technique employed. The stepped pyramidal form visible in profile is most apparent from this side, with the recessed void formed as molten tin contracted around the mould core during cooling. |
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| Additional information |
Pahang's tin hat money occupies a genuinely strange corner of monetary history. These cast pieces functioned as fractional currency in a sultanate whose economy ran almost entirely on tin mining — meaning the raw material and the money were, quite literally, the same commodity. The jiu li denomination designation reflects Chinese influence on the weights system, a consequence of the substantial Hakka mining labor population in the Pahang interior during the early nineteenth century.
Casting quality varies dramatically across surviving examples, as production was never centralized in any meaningful way.