Niewmismatic Error Coins

Singapore Merchant Tokens Series One Cent And Half Cent 1804 SUSU
Rarity:RRR
One of the most meaningful and fruitful thing that I received in my recent trip to Singapore in  conjunction with the SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL COIN FAIR 2015 27-29 MARCH-2019 was to visit Mr. Sunny Lam Teck Bong of Clifford Numismatic Center.
I was very lucky to be given a chance by Mr. Sunny Lam to view closely on his rare collection of 
two pieces Singapore Merchant 1804 "Duit Ayam" tokens.

One Cent (SS22) Token is a Proof token and a normal Half Cent (SS23A) Copper Token. I was told by him, the Proof Token was an ex-collection of the exiled Egyptian King Farouk's collection.
The One Cent 1804 Proof SUSU was struck in a unknown mint in London with a mintage of 100 pieces dated 1804.

The Half Cent 1804 SUSU was struck at a mint in Susu, Sumatra with an unknown total mintage. It appears to have been struck on a small planchet and the edge is smoothed. It was struck from the same die as the One Cent 1804 Proof Token. The existence of this token was not known until its illustrated pieces was turned up in London in 1984.

Many tokens were circulated in the Straits and neighbouring territories of Singapore. But the most intriguing issue consisted of copper cents know as cock tokens, because the obverse featured a large spurred fighting-cock. The reverse was inscribed "Susu" in Arabic, with the date 1804 in the European calendar. Susu was a port on the west coast of Sumatra, in the kingdom of Acheen, where American had established a base.
At one time Pridmore (pp. 91-94) thought that these pieces might have been issued by the American Free Traders illegally trading at the Port of Susu, a west coast port in Sumatra in the Kingdom of Acheen. Recent research, published after his death in a joint paper with David Vice (SNC, Sept. 1980 and Mar. 1981) indicates that they are much more likely to be an issue of the rebel chief, Lebi Dapa, a descendent of a Chief of Susu, and that the Heavy Issue were the 100 "samples" struck from dies prepared in London, and that the Light Issue was produced locally. That they are almost certainly the prototype for the later Fighting Cock tokens is not in doubt.
Thank you very much to Mr. Sunny Lam for allowing me to take some photos of his rare collections so that I can share with my Blog and facebook visitors.

Singapore Merchant Token Of Native States: Terengganu- Malaya(1835/36)
These Merchant tokens were extensively circulated in the Malay State of Perak, Selangor and Terengganu. During the 1830's, merchants from Singapore used this type of coinage as small change. They were usually inscribed in Jawi script with the name of the state i.e. Negeri Perak, Negeri Selangor and Negeri Terengganu, the denomination and the date.

This is one of the Singapore Merchant Tokens that was inscribed with the names of native states in the Malay Archipelago, the state of Terengganu-Malaya dated 1835/36.

Obverse: In Jawi " Negeri Terengganu" (State of Terengganu)

Reverse: In Jawi "Satu Keping 1251 AH" (One Keping 1251 AH= 1835/36)
Edge: Plain.

Weight: 2.26gm.
Diameter: 21mm

Composition: Copper

Code: SS63

Singapore Forgery Merchant Tokens Two Keping Duit Ayam.
Singapore Fighting Cock Merchant Token (Forgery)
This is a Singapore forgery merchant token with the denomination of two Keping. As I mentioned in my earlier post:THE FIRST PENNY OF AUSTRALIA (1911) , beside the 1911 Australia First Bronze Penny, my classmate  Mr. Lim Kok Onn also had given me a piece of counterfeit Singapore Cockerel Merchant Copper Token for my research.
(Read more: http://dniewcollectors.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-first-penny-of-australia-1911.html#ixzz3G2J5ROdG)
It was quite a unique contemporary counterfeit Two Keping Singapore Fighting Cock Token dated 1247AH (1831). I believed it was a casted copper coin. Indeed, I asked him to find more pieces for me for my research. At last he got me a few more pieces for me to share with others. One piece was casted in bronze.

Obverse:
A spurred fighting cock facing right.
In Jawi "Tanah Melayu" (Land of the Malays). Last two tail feathers of cock crossed.

Reverse:
In Jawi "Dua Keping 1247AH" (Two Keping). The wording are broader and there were signed of filing.

Edge:Plain.

Weight: 3.21gm. to 3.35gm.

Diameter: 21.50mm.

Composition: Copper/ Bronze.

Code: SS24 (Forgery)

Singapore Merchant German Silver Tokens:Two Stivers 1791 (Imitation).
Rarity:RR/SS19/BU
The East India Company's refusal to accept the fact that its Eastern Settlements were in a dollar using area and the subsequent failure to issue a currency suitable to the demands of trade in Singapore and the Malay Archipelago resulted in the production of the Singapore Merchant Tokens which served as a medium of exchange and came to be widely accepted in the neighbouring region.

Tokens imitating the Dutch European Silver Two Stivers are one of the main group of the Singapore Merchant Tokens, the Official Coinage for Sumatra and Singapore.

Obverse:
The crowned shield of Arms of the Netherlands 2 Stivers of the Province of Holland with toothed border.

Reverse:
The legend "HOL LAN DIA 1791". On the original Holland 2 Stiver, there is a large dot after the last letter A of HOLLANDIA which is missing on these imitation pieces.
Edge: Plain
Weight: 1.55-2.10gm.
Diameter: 21mm.
Composition: German Silver (a mixture of Bronze, Nickel and Zinc).

The 2 Stivers British imitation pieces were introduced between 1834-1836 by the Singapore merchants. These imitation tokens circulated for nearly 10 years before being suppressed in 1884.

Singapore Forgery Merchant Token 2 Keping -AH 1247

Rarity:RR/ SS24 

This Singapore 2 Keping Copper Merchant Token with Cockeral facing right is a forgery copper coin. This is the first time I encountered such a contemporary counterfeit Singapore Merchant Token.
Even though it is a contemporary counterfeit coin, as a counterfeit collector like me, I am still willing to pay RM50 to acquire a piece for research purpose.

Obverse: A spurred fighting cock facing right. In Jawi: "Tanah Melaju" (Land of the Malays).

Forgery Two Keping

Genuine Two Keping (Obverse)

Reverse: In Jawi: Dua Keping 1247 AH" (Two Keping 1247AH=1831/32)

Forgery Two Keping

Genuine Two Keping (Reverse)

Edge: Plain.
Composition: Copper.

Singapore Fighting Cock Merchant Token.
 Rarity: Unique.


Since 1831/32, Singapore merchant copper tokens bearing the image of a fighting cock that were issued privately by certain Singapore merchants.

This is a very unique Singapore merchant token or "duit ayam" as the local people used to call.


Its obverse was struck with a spurred fighting cock facing right.In Jawi "Tanah Melayu" (Land of the Malays). Last tail feather of cock single and hanging straight down.


The reverse,in Jawi "Satu Keping 1247 AH", (One Keping 1247AH=1831/32).

Plain edge,copper planchet,diameter is 20.90mm,thickness is 2.92mm and weight at 8.49gm.

This unique copper token is very much thicker and heavier then an ordinary One Keping token with a normal thickness of 1.50mm and weight of 1.49gm to 1.68gm.


Its weight of 8.49gm was even heavier then the Two Keping token (4.27gm) ,Half Cent Susu (4.75gm) and the Cent Susu (6.77gm).

Thank you very much to Mr.Mahadevan for his kindness to share his good collection with us. Mr. Mahadevan  is a  Singapore merchant tokens enthusiast, has been sharing with us many of his rare collection of Singapore merchant tokens.

Singapore Copper Merchant Token Two Keping 1251AH (1835/36)

Rarity:RRR  SS91


Graded and encapsulated by USA NGC grading house MS62 Brown.
According to the owner, Mr Mahadevan said this is a very scarce  Singapore merchant token.




Obverse: In Jawi "Dua Keping 1247AH" (Two Keping 1247AH=1831/32)


Reverse:Similar to the Obverse.(Inverted)
Edge: Plain.
Weight:4.27gm
Diameter:23mm
Composition: Copper. 


Mr.Mahadevan's collection.