SCOTT SEMANS WORLD COINS

SOUTHEAST ASIA ETHNOGRAPHIC MONEY

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BACKGROUND
Since antiquity silver and gold have been used in Southeast Asia, but round coins were only introduced in the 16th Century and were not produced locally until much later. The various native forms of silver are known in the west by colorful names such as bullets, flower money, tiger tongues, leech money, boat and canoe money, packsaddles, etc. Examples commonly available today may date back as far as the 9th Century, but several forms continued in use alongside modern coins well into the 20th Century. Collectors in Thailand have only recently begun to appreciate and collect these monies, but for the most part they stil sell at reasonable advances over bullion value. An illustrated, historical summary of these monies by Vasilijs Mihailovs, but note the fake animal money.
REFERENCES
An important new work on early Thai monies, Siamese Coins: From Funan To The Fifth Reign, by Mihailovs, Krisadaolarn, & Lubo-Lesnichenko is due late 2007; please inquire for availability. It will shed much needed light on the historical background of the peoples who produced these unusual monies, the evolution of their weight standards, and the dating and rationale behind the various forms. Meanwhile, the works of Michael Mitchiner catalog and provide historical background for many types, and general works such as Quiggin and Opitz are useful, along with earlier works by LeMay, Kneedler and Guehler. For information and sale offers of numismatic literature in this category see this page.
AUTHENTICITY
Thankfully the limited market and relatively abundant supply for most types in this series has so far deterred forgers. However, most examples of stamped (early) bracelet money found are forgeries. C'ieng pieces which are undersized or with improper inscriptions are likely ceremonial pieces, while modern forgeries are known for the rarer cities, and even the common ones. In the bullet series, base-metal pieces are generally religious talismans (kud), and smaller silver pieces with simple marks are "upcountry" products made for jewelry use. Neither class is a "forgery" nor are these true coins. There are later copies of the Kud. Genuine Burmese "opium weights" are still abundant, though modern tourist copies exist and are generally easy to spot by style and lack of wear. Malay tin is being extenively and ceatively forged today; see below. My own authenticity policy.
ILLUSTRATIONS
To see specimens for sale, click on the reference number at left in each listing. For inexpensive types with numerous pieces in stock, typical examples are shown.

COINAGE OF LANNATAI C'IENG, FLOWER MONEY, and TOKS

     Mangrai, founder of the Lannatai capital of Chiengmai in 1292, is traditionally thought to have initiated the C'ieng (Tamlung, Ka Kim, Packsaddle) coinage, though Wicks suggests ca.1475 to ca. 1650 as the period of main use. Made from a tapering, squared-edge bar with characteristic bends and cuts, C'ieng coins bear three marks: the city name, the numeral "5," probably representing five northern baht of 12.2g (= four Sukothai baht of 14.6g) and a final mark possibly identifying a moneyer or king. The cuts may serve to show the metal purity, or to create the auspicious shape of a female pelvis. Weight 60-62.5g, as with bullets, fineness is .900+. Base metal imitations and pieces with a phallus inserted are ceremonial. See Mitch Non-Islamic p.2741+, Opitz p.171, Kneedler, LeMay, etc.

663X   C'ieng Money   C'ieng Sen (City of Sen) 1 Tamlung Well-made forgery. We have stamped COPY (scan enlarged)   $40

661qX   C'ieng Money   C'ieng Mai (City of Mai) 1/4 Tamlung Well-made forgery. We have stamped COPY (scan enlarged)   $30

     "Flower" or "willow leaf" money is the term for flat or bulging patties of .900+ fine silver which succeeded the C'ieng currency and may have originated as imitations of sea shells. Their names come from the radiant patterns on their upper surface created by the cooling silver, and their flat bottoms show the same red-yellow stainings from crucible lubricants as the toks. The flower pieces are probably from the northern Shan states and, like many Chinese sycee, show no pattern to their weights.
     A series of evolutionary stages which I have divided into "Flower Toks" and "proto-Tok C'iengmai," - probably representing more southerly manufacture - lead to the Tok C'iengmai with a grainy obverse, hollow reverse, and consistent weight s with a Unit of roughly 65g. Cresswell discusses these intermediate types but they are otherwise not distinguished in the literature.

605f   Flower Money, thin    Specimens: .2) 77g, 65m, holed for wearing F-VF $120

613   Flower Tok, 1-Unit?    Thick pieces with one or more rough concavities reverse Specimens: a) 52.8g, Unusual striated pattern in place of "leaf" veining, open bottom with two counterstamps made up of 3 crescents, holed for wearing, Fine? $85

617   Proto Tok C'iengmai, 1/2 Unit    Excellent specimen with grainy "topo" pattern obverse and bulge opposite concavity in reverse, features of the Tok Ciengmai. 31.5g on a standard of about 60-70g per Unit, 36m EF (scan enlarged)   $125

     At the southern end of the Flower/Tok region and about the time Lannatai came under Burmese domination (1615) the C'ieng money was replaced by Tok coinages which continued in official use until ca. 1880, and later for ceremonial use and bride price. Toks are rounded with distinctive patterns top and bottom produced by the moulds. Bottoms usually show red-yellow stains from crucible lubricants. Later mythology attributed these stains to egg yolk and chicken blood. The likely earliest toks (Tok C'iengmai) are fine silver with high, fragile domes, descended from "flower money", while the latest (Tok Nan) are thick, base metal, with a vestigal dome.
     The toks of C'iengmai, hollow silver shells with rough, fragile domed tops and a round, mouth-like opening in a sturdy bottom colored red-yellow. Fineness is about .400-.500 and while weights are not exact, they come in five distinct denominations (1/16 to 1-Unit), the largest two of which usually bear one or more (often unclear) edge stamps of unknown significance. The fractional sizes are scarcer. Due to their fragility, or perhaps later ceremonial use, specimens with intact domes are less common. "Pig mouth" and "horse-hoof" toks are even more fragile and rare, suggesting a ceremonial rather than monetary purpose.
     The toks of Nan, farther east, show a convex bottom and a "dome" reduced to a wide oval scoop with raised edges and a hole near the rim, weight 60-73g. Fineness of the best pieces seems to be around .300-.400, down to pure copper for some specimens. They are sometimes found with characters etched into the reverse. Related, and much rarer, Toks are called "leaf" and "line" money. They are generally base, or silver-plated, with patterns cast in. Etched patterns are of doubtful authenticity.

624   Tok C'iengmai, 1-Unit 63-77g    Dome broken away, resembling a "cake" Sycee or Silver Dollar.   a) Edge stamps visible as vague circles, but not identifiable $23.50   g) Dome 20% intact, stamps weak or not visible 27.50   j1) Dome about 1/3 intact, two stamps (A or B) fairly clear $35
624   Tok C'iengmai, 1-Unit 63-77g    Dome partially intact & stamps at least partially identifiable.   n) Dome 45% intact, 2 x doubled (side-by-side) horse stamps, fairly clear $45;   m) Dome 50% intact, 3x horse (D), two fairly clear $60;   p) Dome 60% intact, 2 x symbol (A or B) stamps, fairly clear (shown in scan) $50;   p1) Dome 50% intact, 3x (AorB) stamps, two fairly clear $50;   p2) Dome 70% intact, 2x partial (A or B) Stamps $45;   s) Dome 75% intact, 3 x symbol (A,B) stamp, mostly sharp (shown in scan) $80 (SOLD)   z1) Dome 50% intact, 2x stamp depressions but stamps unclear $35;   z2) Dome 70% intact, 2x stamp depressions but stamps unclear $40

623   Tok C'iengmai, 1/2-Unit 29-37g    Dome broken away. Scarcer than full Units.    SOLD

622   Tok C'iengmai, 1/4-Unit 15-20g    Dome broken away. Scarcer than full Units.    g) Dome 25% intact, no stamps visible (shown in scan) $40

640   Tok Nan, mostly 66-77g   Distinctive "scoop" reverse, Silver content about .300-.400, 43-46m $15

647)     Tok Nan, Scoop vague or missing, copper or very base silver, 40-42m 9.50

650c   Leaf Money (false) Pewter, with bold branching design, two reverse sun punches, and drill hole all cast in. 33/37m, 16.7g. Not a proper specimen, but made for ceremonial use or a simple forgery?   $20

COINAGE OF LANCHANG BAR MONIES: Leech, Tiger Tongue, Boat

     This Thai kingdom flourished in what is now northeast Thailand and northwest Laos ca. 1353-1592. Its coinage consisted of rounded, rectangular bars called Lat, meaning "small money." The smooth, well-made base silver pieces with Elephant, Chakra, and a third stamp are called Leech Money due to their upturned ends, and were probably the kingdom's first coinage. There are three denominations, the small 18g, 37-40m being rare.

     The capital of Lanchang was moved south to Vientaine ca. 1530 and Mitchiner dates the first Tiger Tongues to this period. These are of the same shape as Leech money with rows of rough bumps on the upper surface and sometimes stamped symbols across the center. After 1707 the kingdom split into Luang Prabang and Vientaine, and baser tiger tongues no doubt continued to be made well into the 19th century. As a whole the series is complex with variations in size, weight, shape, fineness, and markings. Acid testing reveals two distinct standards among identical-looking silver specimens, though without an assay I am only able to approximate. A NI Bulletin article of 10/76 by John LeLacheur ("L") illustrates 19 types.

725a   Tiger Tongue: Fine Silver (.750-.900?), 100-123g, 112-127m No stamps L5   $100SOLD
725b   Tiger Tongue: Fine Silver, smaller: 75-90g, 102-115m No stamps    SOLD
     Lad hoi, called Boat or Canoe Money, is the basest, simplest, and probably latest of the Lat currencies and probably was in use up to the early 20th century. A traveller noted 24 to the Tical in 1866 vs. 40 in 1895. The slight concave trough and raised ends of the Tiger Tongue are exaggerated so the piece looks like a long boat.

706   Boat / Canoe variants Smaller, rougher pieces, showing a great deal of variation, Each: $4.50;   706s) Set of six pieces selected to show range of variation: $25

708   Canoe Money Good style pieces, 50-65m, often showing traces of silvering. MitchNI-3024 Scarce   $10 SOLD

MONEY OF THE HILL TRIBES SILVER COLLARS, BRACELETS, and RINGS

     In societies without locks or pockets, men have discovered that the safest and most convenient way to store wealth is on their person (or on their wives) hence the copper bracelet (and anklet) money of Africa, and the silver bracelet (and collar, ring, etc.) money of the Thai Hill Tribes. Mitchiner speculates that the practice dates to the end of the Ka Kim coinage in the 16th century. Most specimens acid test at about .900 fine, confirming the idea that they are made from melted down coins and sycee. There are a number of traditional styles which we can now attribute by tribe, thanks to Peoples of the Golden Triangle by Paul and Elaine Lewis which illustrates hundreds of examples. The Chinese-related Hmong (Meo) and Mien (Yao) mainly made collars, while the interrelated Thai Akha, Lisu, Lahu, and the non-Thai Lawa made bracelets. Many of my specimens are old pieces that came out in the 1970's, as refugees traded family wealth to survive. "New" pieces and entirely new styles have largely displaced old specimens in Thai markets today.

795a   Neck Ring: Solid (Hmong=Meo, Mien=Yao, Lahu, Akha) Plain silver torque and flattened back-turned ends with chased design. These are worn with the open ends at the back of the neck. Lewis p.50-51, Opitz p.284-top .700-.900 fine, 190x165m, 182g   175
795b    Neck Ring: Solid 140x135m, 134g $130;   175;   795c with a chased design 91g $100
798a   Neck Ring: Multi-tiered (Hmong, Mien) Five attached "solid" rings of increasing size, etched flower designs, and clasp. Heaviest and most impressive of the Necklace types, I was never able to get one from Thailand; this from an auction Lewis p.53 & p.117 as worn by young girls. Opitz p.284-middle top 166x165m, about 1160g   $1000

804a   Rupee Necklace (Karen) Tightly strung silver beads and tubes, traditionally made from Indian Rupees or multiples 1/2 Rupee Lewis p.57 left two types, 270m doubled, 6-7g    $15
804b   2 Rupee necklace Interspersed small, and large-hollow beads, 380m doubled, 30-31g   $27.50

806a   Flat Necklace I believe these are a more modern version of the solid type (795) where the band is flattened and covered with intricate chased designs, plus numerous dangling (jingling) ornaments. Under .500 fine. Quite attractive & wearable, but may be post-monetary 88g   $50
806b   Flat Necklace, with dangling pendant, 125g   $75
806f   Flat Necklace, White metal version, modern, pretty but no silver!   $14.95

      Possibly descendants of the C'ieng Money, Bracelet Money weights are sometimes consistent or multiples within given types. I have used Lewis' Peoples of the Golden Triangle to attribute these and the collars by tribal groups.

815e   Bracelet: Rounded (Lahu, Akha, Lisu) Thick body with tapered or flattened ends, fancy cast design of alternating pinches and double beaded ridges. This is possibly the most consistent type. 139gm   MN2991, Op p.283-top center, Lewis p.41 2nd in 2nd row   $175
815n   Bracelet: Rounded (Lahu, Akha, Lisu) Thick body with tapered or flattened ends, fancy cast design. Copper 40g This is the only Bracelet Money type for which I have found a base metal analog.   $25

818   Bracelet: Faceted (Lahu, Akha, Lisu) Six facets with slightly tapering ends, generally small & plain. Lewis p.41 1st in 2nd row   b) 72g, 68m across toned $70;   c) 46, 47g, 56m (one shown in scan) $49

820   Bracelet: Squared (Lahu, Akha, Lisu) Squared body with even ends. Lewis p.41 1st row 2nd group, MN2993, Opitz p.283-left, 3rd from top.    a) Chased design 3-9:00 (worn) 62g (=Tamlung?) $75;   b) Attractive chased design over entire upper surface, 130g (= Double Tamlung?) $135

822b   Bracelet: Squared/Flared (Hmong, Mien) Rounded top with squared sides and flared, flat ends. Extensive chased design. Among most attractive of types. Lewis p.41 upper rt 91g    $100

823b   Bracelet: Pointed Ends (Lawa) Six-facet body with enlarged arrow-tipped ends, chased designs Lewis p.41 lower left, 90.5g    $150

827   Bracelet: Twisted (Lawa) Tightly twisted with smooth overlapping squared ends (flexible) Lewis p.42 cntr rt.   a) 80g. $85;   b) 35g. $47.50

829   Bracelet: Flat/Spiral (Lawa) Flattened center tapering to thin rounded ends in 3-4 coils, chased designs. Lewis p.42 upper rt, MN2997, Opitz p.283 bottom rt.   a) 73g $75;   b) 58g $65

838a   Bracelet: Intertwined (Lahu, Akha) Thick, intertwined wires fuse at ends. Lewis p.46 bottom. 86g well worn   $85

843a   Bracelet: Complex (Lahu, Akha) Alternating bands of flat and beaded elements, with separators, in an overall spiral design. Silver sheet caps at ends. Lewis p.46 upper right 39g. Lewis p.46 bottom.   $48

860   Ring: Mongkut Large, broad fine-silver ring of coiled wire with Thai crown attached. Said to be Akha-made, also used by Lahu, Lisu, and Lawa. Lewis p.61 lower rt 12-21g   22.50

866   Ring: Pointed Type made by Hmong and Mien Tribes, avg. 3gm, 35-40m long Lewis p.61 lower rt 12-21g   14.50

853   Earrings: Flat Type made by Hmong Tribe, 26g the pair Lewis p.60 lower left These could be polished up.   45.00

865   Trade Beads Thin silver tire-shaped shells, some with cork stiffeners, perhaps from a necklace or costume.   2.25

COWRIE CURRENCIES

     As in China, cowries formed the small money of the country at fixed rates vs. silver from early times until the introduction of machine-struck tin coinage (Y5-6). The Thais got theirs mainly from the Maldives and had names for 8 distinct varieties.(LeMay p.97). The Thai word for cowrie Bia appears on some porcelain gambling tokens, which were initially cowrie substitutes.

952s   New Cowries I have never been offered used cowries from Thailand, but these are from the beaches of Polynesia, picked up by my father in 1944. Set of Cyprea Moneta & Cyprea Annulus, the two species generally used. (See scan in header above)   0.50

M2867   Prakab Kingdom of Ayuthia, King Boromakot 1733-58   31m brown clay cowrie-substitute, Fleur-de-lis obv, fingerprints embedded in rev. See LeMay pl.XXXII#9-14, Mitchiner Non-Islamic #2867, Coins in Thailand p.38-39. Taisei 2/94 Sale, Lot 1023 (unsold). Having never seen another piece, I do not know if this is genuine. Feedback sought.    VF $200

NAMO COINAGE of KALAH

     The distinctive small bean-like coins called Namo have been a long-standing numismatic mystery. Who issued them, and when? Are they precursors of the Thai pod-duang (bullet) coins? Generally attributed to the powerful maritime empire of Srivijaya, Dr. Michael Mitchiner's The History and Coinage of South East Asia (1998) places them with Kalah, a rival empire which shared control of the northern Isthmus. He dates them to early 8th C. through late 10th C. and suggests that they were derived from small gold trade ingots. Gold pieces exist, but much commoner are silver and base silver (or silver washed?) pieces. Their signal feature, set in an incuse depression, is a bold character Na which looks like a four-legged animal looking backwards. The reverse is a cleft on the smaller, usually elongated "female" pieces, or various symbols raised in a shallower depression on the larger, round "male" pieces. Mitchiner notes silver contents ranging from 11-26%, but pieces generally found on the market appear to be base metal that has been silver washed. I am not sure whether such pieces are genuine.

M592     Female Namo Namo symbol, r: cleft, 7m, .86g, slightly elongated, no hammer marks evident, appears base metal with slight silver wash. Mitch 592-594   Possibly a forgery.   EF 20.00 SOLD

M604     Male Namo Namo symbol, r: "Lingam on stand", 9-10m, 2.15, 2.47g, round, appears base metal with slight silver wash. Mitch 604-606   Possibly a forgery.   VF 25.00

MALAY TIN MONIES

     Between the 1820s and 1980s Malaysia was one of the world's leading tin producers, and nearly all of the pre-Colonial coinage of the region, both conventional and "ethnographic" forms, was in tin. Three states, Pahang with its tin "hats," and Perak and Selangor with animal shapes and small ingots of varying shapes, are responsible for the non-coin tin monies. The "hats," or Tampang are essentially true coins, bearing dates and being cast to specific weight standards. The ingots, or Bidor, were a widely accepted market currency. As Saran Singh notes in The Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei (1996, p.183) "The value of each ingot depended upon its weight, thus the shape and size of each ingot was of little consequence. Most of the tin ingots were cast in Perak but a small quantity were also cast in the neighbouring State of Selangor. These tin ingots circulated extensively in Perak, Selangor, and Negeri Sembilan over a very long period. They were also acceptable in the neighbouring Malay States n the Malay Peninsula as well as in Sumatra." Among the varied forms of tin "animal money" the Kedah cock and its rings appear to have the best (though still conjectural) status of general purpose money. As Shaw and Ali (1970) suggest, the other animal forms were likely magical charms (called Pawang or Bomoh) associated with healing or the business of tin mining, which may have been used as currency in some sense by the orong asli, a non-Malay, non-Moslem group involved in mining.

     There is a forgery operation in Malaysia producing coins, tokens, and animal forms, many of them without known prototypes. A book was even published in 2002 promoting them as legitimate objects. All products have a "frosted" appearance quite different from the normal look of aged tin. HERE is a cross-section of product, and HERE are more of the cookie-like animals, a style unknown before the 1980s. For genuine examples, see Saran Singh's Encyclopedia or check the Muzium Negara page.

SS15     Tampang   1/25 Dollar, 1281 (1864)   Pahang State, Sultan Wan Ahmad al Mu'azzam Shah 1863-1914   Obv: Floral design   Rev: Pada awal bulan Rabi'al Thani ini belanja Pahang dari tarikh sanat 1281, Persian script in Jawi language: "On the first of the month of Rabi al Thani this currency of Pahang sanctioned in the year 1281" (=December, 1864)   72x74m x 23m high   Singh #15   Part of top and one side panel missing, significant surface flaking; VG for issue $175 SOLD

SS20     Tampang   1/100 Dollar, 1295 (1878)   Pahang State, Sultan Wan Ahmad al Mu'azzam Shah 1863-1914   Obv: Floral design   Rev: Malik al Adil tarikh kepada bulan Rejab sanat 1295, Persian script in Jawi language: "The Just Ruler, dated in the month of Rejab,year 1295 AH" (=July, 1878)   27x28m x 7m high   Singh #20   Sand hole one side of rise, and some flaking, but generally superior grade for this type. Legends readable. $200 SOLD

880     Cone Bidor Cone Ingot,    Perak State, ca.16th Cent. - 1850s, size 15-20m tall, weight range 5.19 - 17.08 gms for small sample, likely representing a fraction of a cent at the time. See Singh #7-10. These small ingots have come on the market in the last few years from dredging and construction preparations, as well as the usual metal-detecting and sifting.     Typical piece as shown in scan: $22.50

881     Rod or "hairpin" Bidor Ingot,    Perak State, ca.16th Cent. - 1850s, size 40-65m long, weight range 5.75 - 17.28 gms for small sample, likely representing a fraction of a cent at the time.      Typical piece as shown in scan: $22.50

880s     SET of cone shaped and Rod (hairpin) shaped pieces (2): $40.00

882     Odd shaped Ingots, Bidor   Perak State, ca.16th Cent. - 1850s, Less usual shapes, as shown in scan: a-c) 25.00 each;   d) 30.00;   e-f) 22.50 each

878     Cone Bidor Mound Ingot,    Perak State, ca.16th Cent. - 1850s, Rounded, domed ingots, much as Singh #1-4 but much smaller. From recent dredgings. I do nt know if they are smaller versions of the monies shown in Singh, or something else. Group of 3 pieces as shown, weights: 19.37, 24.70, 17.21 gm. Lot: $55

INTERRUPTED RINGS (Keloh)

     Mitchiner's The History and Coinage of South East Asia (1998, p.28+) presents examples from South India through Japan, including several in lead from South East Asia, and two moulds. He notes a find site of Sawankhalok, Thailand, which was known to have extensive trade with Majapahit. The lot of 80 pieces offered below come from Java, core of the old Majapahit Empire, where they are called kelok meaning curved, and referred to as money. Wicks MM&T (1992, p.167) quotes Wolters, "For trade dealings in clothing and food Gulf of Thailand c. 1200 AD."
     I sorted these visually, then by weight, and found an apparent denominational system of about 100gm and fractionals. The amount of variation around this standard suggests a token coinage rather than use as weights, or metal value. The general form is broken ring with thin top and bulbous ends, often with a ridge at the top of each end. Sprues and exterior ridge from casting sometimes present. Scans show sample pieces.

925b   Lead/Tin rings    Large size (1/2 Unit?), 46-61.5g, 34-37m   37.50
925c    - 19 - 35g, 24 - 35m   23.50
925d    - 9.5 - 14g, 18 - 25m   15.00
925e    - 5.3 - 8g, 16 - 20m   11.00
925f    - 1.7 - 3.9g, 13 - 17m   8.50

926c   Copper rings    More conventional ring shape, though ends tend to be bulbous. Metal generally reddish, though probably alloyed. My breakdown is somewhat arbitrary, and the denominational standard, if any, unclear.   14 - 25g, 32 - 37m   20.00
926d    - 6 - 11g, 29 - 37m   15.00

927d   Variant rings-1    Copper, shape much as the Lead type (925)   c) 25.63g, 24m across, once gilded, traces show in interior. NFS;    d) 10.53, 8.73g, 20 - 21m $25.00 SOLD

928de   Variant rings-2    Bronze or possibly brass, conventional ring shape except ends are broad and squared   d) 10.15g, 18m $25.00 SOLD   e) 6.92, 5.63, 5.61, 404g, 16 - 18m $17.50


THESE ARE NOT MONEY    Often misidentified as money items, these are acid-etched iron amulets, ca. 1980, from the Indonesian hinterlands (likely Borneo) which are supposed to ward off evil spirits. Most are roughly rounded with crude Arabic script, geometric designs, or (on larger sizes) dragons.   MORE


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