DUTCH COINAGE OF JAVA USED IN COLONY OF MALACCA

Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC 1602-1799), silver rupee, minted for usage in Java Island.

Also spelled as RUPIJ.

However, it must be noted that on the actual coin, no reference to RUPEE but DIRHAM as currency name.

Rupiah is much better than the origin suggests with many zeros printed and tacky graphic design paper. The word comes from the Sanskrit Rupiah rupiyah that silver or silver coin means. There circulated ever silver rupees from India in Indonesia when the country was still called the Dutch East Indies and the VOC assume their Asian headquarters, located in "The Castle" in Batavia, ruled the roost. The VOC did business with many parts of Asia, including in the Coromandel and Malabar on the east coast to the west coast of India where they had several factories. In these regions used the VOC local silver coins of good content and attractive design: the Rupees.Other coins were in these areas are not accepted. This rupees were also found attractive in Java, where they could be done with profits of hand by the VOC. The rupee was called by the Dutch ropij and they used Java rupees from various regions of India. The most famous were the Soeratse rupees, beaten to Surat, at that time the most important trading center located in North-West India. The VOC used rupees from further include Sicca, Arcot and Palikate and were knocked these coins even for their own account at various local mints in India. The silver content of the right was claimed for this little bar in 1 kilo from the Netherlands.

CATALOG

KM# 175.1
Scholten 458a / 457b
Zeno 78191

Krause has this coin grouped under Netherlands East Indies > United East India Company 1602-1799 (Java) > Milled Coinage
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JAVA MONETARY SYSTEM

4 Duit = 1 Stiver
30 Stivers = 1 Rupee (Silver)
66 Stivers = 1 Dollar

1 DIRHAM | DERHAM 1766 175 , Scholten 458 , SSc17 BERNAMA "1 RUPIAH" , TULISAN JAWI / HURUF JAWI: "الي جزيرة جاو الكبير" / "درهم من كمڤني ولندوي" TWISTED / DISTORTED LEGEND: "ILI JAZIRAT JAWA ALKABIR" / "DIRHAM MIN KUMPANI WALANDAWI" , KATA "RUPIAH" TIDAK DITULIS ATAS MATA UANG INI , TAPI UANG LOGAM INI BERNAMA "DIRHAM" 

1 DIRHAM | DERHAM 1803 BERNAMA "1 RUPIAH" , TULISAN JAWI / HURUF JAWI: الي جزيرة جاو الكبير" / "درهم من كمڤني ولندوي" TWISTED / DISTORTED LEGEND: "ILI JAZIRAT JAWA ALKABIR" / "DIRHAM MIN KUMPANI WALANDAWI" , KATA "RUPIAH" TIDAK DITULIS ATAS MATA UANG INI , TAPI UANG LOGAM INI BERNAMA "DIRHAM" : "WALANDA" IS "HOLLAND" IN JAVANESE , BUT THE SCRIPT IS JAWI LETTERS , WITHIN A MIXED SENTENCE , INCLUDING "ALWALANDI", MEANING "THE DUTCH" WITH ARABIC "AL" AND "ALKUMPANI" , NOT AND ARAB WORD WITH ARABIC "AL" , "KOMPENI" IN MALAY / INDONESIAN REFFERS TO "VOC". 

MINTMARK

Pelleted-cross also known as Mintmark '9'.

OBVERSE

Arabic	الي جزيرة جاو الكبير
Pronunciation	ili jazirat jawa al-kabir
Transliteration	For the island of Java the Great

This is a particular variety with different spelling which yield different meaning and of course pronunciation, the الى has been spelt as الي
Spelling for Jawa could not be confirmed, either with ا as in جاوا or not  جاو.

Arabic legend with roman numeral: 1766.

REVERSE
 

Arabic	درهم من كمڤني ولندوي
Pronunciation	darham min Kampeni Walandawi
Transliteration	Dirham of the Dutch Company

On the reverse, a character derived from Arabic to complement South-East Asia pronunciation was used, ڤ

Edged: Milled

Weight: 12.8 - 13.15 g

Diameter: 24 - 26.5 mm

Composition:
Silver 0.832 (1764-1788) -> Saran Singh 0.8330 - Krause
0.792 (1794-1799)

Known Year Date
First Series : 1764 1765 1766 1767
Second Series" 1783 1784 1785 1786
Third Series: 1788 1795 1796 1798
 

Note

a. There are three major variations in the Arabic inscriptions on the Rupees issued between 1764 - 1799. The first series was issued between 1764 - 1767. The second series with a slight variation in legend was issued between 1783 - 1799 had a new arrangement of the Arabic inscription.

b. The above One Rupee with the year date 1782, 1787 and 1789 have been recorded. However, no known specimens exist.

MALAY ARCHIPELIGO, Colonial. Java. Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East India Company). 1602-1800. AR Rupee (27mm, 12.28 g, 12h). Mint unnamed, but struck at Batavia (Jakarta). Dated 1766. ila djazirat/Djawa al-kabir (For the island/of Java the Great) in Malay-Arabic in two lines; above, cross composed of four wedges(mintmark); 1766 below / dirham min/Kompani/Welandawi (Dirham of/the Holland/Company) in Malay-Arabic in three lines. Edge: /////. Scholten 458e; cf. N&C 20b (for type)