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VOC COCHIN BAZARUCO
| Issuer | Dutch East India Company (VOC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1724-1795 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.96 g |
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| Obverse description | Within a plain raised inner circle, the interlaced VOC monogram of the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie rendered in bold relief, the three letters intertwined in the characteristic ligature style associated with the Cochin mint. The numeral '8' appears prominently above the monogram in the upper field, denoting the denomination as one-eighth of a Rupee. The flan is irregularly shaped, consistent with the hand-cast production methods employed at the Cochin establishment, and the overall fabric displays the granular surface texture typical of tin cast coinage of this series. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | VOC 8 |
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| Additional information |
The bazaruco was a low-denomination coin inherited by the VOC from the Portuguese, who had introduced the denomination at Cochin on the Malabar Coast generations earlier. When the Dutch seized Cochin in 1663, they retained the name and the concept — practical administrators, they kept what already worked in local trade. These tin pieces circulated almost exclusively within the Cochin bazaar economy, never intended for export or settlement of Company accounts, which were conducted in silver.
Tin was sourced largely from VOC operations in the Malay world, making the coin a minor logistical node in a much larger commercial network. Production continued until the VOC's charter finally lapsed in 1795.