This is a museum piece antiquity belongs to Malacca Empire Era during the reign of Sultan Mahmud Shah ( 1488 - 1511 CE). This is a complete rare “tree” of coins.
Let me provide some insights of this “tree”. During the era of Malacca Sultanate, tin coins or “Pitis” as they were known, were minted in circular shape for use in the local markets. This tree was moulded by pouring molten tin though an opening in a mould which runs along a central channel into the side branches and finally into the coin moulds where the katun were cast. After the metal had cooled and hardened, the pitis were broken off and the excess metal of the central stem and brances was re smelted for further use.
Comparing this coins’ tree with my other pitis, I could match this pitis with "pitis" as outlined in Saran Singh’s The Encyclopaedia of The Coins of Malaysia Singapore & Brunei, page 5 ( SS7). The obverse was inscribed in Arabic, “Al Sultan Mahmud” means “ The Sultan Mahmud” whereas the reverse of this pitis was inscribed with “ Al SUltan Al Adil” means “The Just Sultan”. It has circular shape with plain edge and typical weight of 2.60 gm each. Diameter range from 22mm. Made of tin and quite rare if with the tree.
I have a handful of these pitis but never with the tree until now.
No comments:
Post a Comment