Cash

In 1601 The East India Company sent its first fleet to the East Indies to search for spices, exotic timber, precious stones and other valuable commodities. Arriving at the island of Java (Indonesia) the Company's ships found a thriving trading centre at the port of Bantam and immediately established their own factory. This survived until 1621 when the English merchants were driven out by the Dutch. The coins would have had no currency value in London and might have been brought to the capital as curios.Until the second decade of the 17th century Javanese currency consisted of imported coins from China or locally made imitations of Chinese coins. But from about 1618, the Javanese began to produce their own coin. The Javanese issue were similar to Chinese cash but with an hexagonal rather than square hole. They were also inscribed in Arabic 'Pangeran Ratou ing Bantan' (lord king at Bantam). 'Pangeran Ratou' represents two titles used by the monarchs of Bantam, but does not identify individual rulers. It is probable that the coins were issued during the reigns of Sultan Moulana Mohammed or that of his infant son,between 1618 and 1623. The coins were found together in the mud of the foreshore and it is possible that they were originally strung together. In M. Millies study Recherches sur Les Monnaies des Indigenes de L'Archipel Indien et de lat Peninsule Malaie, published in 1871, these coins are associated with the reign of the infant son of Sultan Moulana Mohammed. The coinage certainly predates the reign of the Sultan Abou'l Ma'ali (1631-34) because he issued coins with his own name that were cast from debassed copper or lead. Most of the coins in the hoard show a similar use of debased copper alloy to the coins of Sultan Abou'l Ma'ali, and these have a diamter of 26 mm, and the obverse and reverse faces are perfectly aligned. Coins that do not match are almost certainly later copies issued before 1710 when Javanese coins were replaced by lead pieces with circular holes inscribed 'CHERIBON'.