Aceh (1579) kupang
The first specimen was lot 3541 in Steve Album Auction 55 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2026), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[1] noted, "ACEH: Abd al-Djalil, 1579, AV kupang, a pleasing mint state example, PCGS graded MS61, ex Jürgen M. Wilmes Collection." The second specimen was lot 3542 in the same sale, where it sold for $228. The catalog description[1] noted, "ACEH: Abd al-Djalil, 1579, AV kupang, an attractive nearly mint state example, PCGS graded AU58, ex Jürgen M. Wilmes Collection." The kupang was a small gold coin introduced in the thirteenth century in the sultanate of Samudra-Pasai. Half and double kupangs exist. Wikipedia comments,
"The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam (Acehnese: Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major regional power in the 16th and 17th centuries, before experiencing a long period of decline. Its capital was Kutaraja, the present-day Banda Aceh. At its peak it was a formidable enemy of the Sultanate of Johor and Portuguese-controlled Malacca, both on the Malay Peninsula, as all three attempted to control the trade through the Strait of Malacca and the regional exports of pepper and tin with fluctuating success. In addition to its considerable military strength, the court of Aceh became a noted center of Islamic scholarship and trade."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, 0.59 g, 12 mm diameter, the first specimen 0.61 g, the second specimen 0.58 g.
Catalog reference: the first specimen Leyten-A9a, the second specimen Leyten-A9b.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Hanbing Feng, Auction 55, featuring Selections from the Swamperbob Gurney Collection of Cap & Ray 8 Reales, the Kenneth A. Bovenkamp Collection of Ottoman Coins and the 1914 Collection of World Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2026.
Links:
- Aceh (1571-79) kupang Ali Ri'ayat Syah I
- Samudra-Pasai (1579) kupang
- Aceh (1579-86) kupang, Ala'ad-Din ibn Ahmad
- Coins and currency dated 1579