Brunei Pitis

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Pitis was a historical currency in Brunei , last issued in 1868 and circulated well into the 20th century. Antonio Pigafetta referred to it as picil . Certain variants were called kue and paku ("piece"). The pitis were replaced by the straits dollar , which had a value of 4000 pitis or 800 paku and was equal to the Spanish dollar .

history

Before the introduction of coins in Brunei was cowrie money used as trading currency for buying smaller items. In addition, bronze tea kettles were traded as barter items along the coast of North Borneo .

The first real coins to come into use were Chinese cash (Chinese: 块, "kuai"). In Brunei these coins were already called "pitis". They may have come into use as early as the 9th to 12th centuries, from the first trade contacts between China and Brunei.

When Antonio Pigafetta, the chronicler of Ferdinand Magellans , visited Brunei in 1521, he wrote: “The money is made of bronze, which is perforated in the middle so that it can be threaded. On each side it bears four Chinese characters, which are the signature of the Great King of China. We call the coins picils. "

In the 16th century, Brunei began to issue its own currency. These coins were also called "pitis", while the Chinese coins were henceforth called "kue". Chinese coins continued to be in use in Brunei until the second half of the 19th century.

In addition, Spanish silver dollars came into circulation at an exchange rate of 4000 pitis to one dollar. Iron bars were also used as money, with an exchange rate of 100 flat, rectangular, one- inch pieces to one dollar. Miniature cannons ranging in size from 150 mm to a foot in length were also in use.

In 1906, Sultan Hashim gave in that a British resident could raise up in Brunei. He also tacitly allowed the Straits dollars used by the British in the Straits Settlements ( Malaya , Singapore , North Borneo ( Sabah ) and Sarawak ) to be introduced into Brunei. Despite the introduction of the new currency, the older local currencies remained in use with very different exchange rates. The old "pitis" were henceforth called paku ( English piece ) and 8 paku corresponded to 1 cent or kayu ( sakayu ). Officially, 4000 pitis was the equivalent of one dollar.

Coinage

The first coins were made of a tin - lead - alloy beaten. There are three variants of this: The oldest wore an anonymous flower design. This was followed by issues of unnamed sultans and the most recent coins also bore the name of the issuing sultan. These coins were made between the 16th and 19th centuries.

The coins without an identifiable sultan name bear honorary titles of the sultans, such as Malikul-Adil (“The Just Sultan”) and Malikul-Thahir (“The Victorious Sultan”). These titles are not personal, although it is believed that these coins date from the time of Sultan Muhammad Hassan (1605–1620).

The first pitis in Brunei, which were minted with a definite date, originated in the reign of Sultan Abdul Momin (1853–1885). The main part of the alloy is lead with tin. On the obverse, the coin shows the royal parasols and other state insignia . An inscription translates as follows: “By decree of the state financial administration of Brunei, in the year of the prophet 1285.” This corresponds to the year 1285 of the hijra , according to the Christian calendar the year 1868. There were coins with two denominations: ½ and 1 pitis.

The last Sultan to have his own coins minted was Sultan Hashim, who had the “ star coin ” minted . These coins were minted in Birmingham , England in 1886 ( AH 1304) . These coins were made of bronze and bear a star in a circle with an Arabic inscription ( obverse ) and a "1" in a circle with the inscription " SULTANATE OF BRUNEI 1304 ".

present

The Brunei dollar is in use in Brunei today .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Rozan Yunos, Bander Seri Begawan: Brunei history seen through its coinage. Brunei Times ( November 2, 2007 memento on the Internet Archive ).
  2. ↑ a b c d Chester L. Krause, Clifford Mishler: Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801-1991. (18th ed.). Krause Publications 1991. ISBN 0873411501 .
  3. ↑ a b c Old Brunei Coins. bruneiresources.blogspot.com. January 15, 2007, accessed September 24, 2018.
  4. ^ Image of Kue coins
  5. ^ "The money is made out of bronze pierced in the middle in order that it may be strung. On each side of it are four Chinese characters, which are letters of the Great King of China. We call the money picils. “Picils is a reference to the pitis. times.
  6. ^ Image of Malikul-Adil coin
  7. ↑ Image of 1868 Pitis
  8. ^ By order of the State Financial Administration of Brunei, in the year of the Prophet 1285 ". Times
  9. ↑ Image of Star Pitis

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