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VOC COCHIN BAZARUCO
| Issuer | Dutch East India Company (VOC) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1724-1795 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 15 mm |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Plain, unadorned reverse field enclosed within a raised inner circle, showing no design elements, legends, or inscriptions. The surface retains the characteristic rough, porous texture of cast tin, with natural flow lines and minor casting irregularities visible across the flan. The rim is uneven and slightly irregular, reflecting the primitive casting technique used at the VOC Cochin facility. |
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| Edge | Plain |
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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.