Aceh (1579-86) kupang
This specimen was lot 3004 in Steve Album Auction 52 (Santa Rosa, CA, May 2025), where it sold for $264. The catalog description[1] noted, "ACEH: Ala'ad-Din ibn Ahmad, 1579-1586, AV mas, short "N" in ibn, XF." 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, this specimen 0.61 g.
Catalog reference: Leyton-11b.
- 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 Dustin Wagner, Auction 52, featuring the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection and the Almer H. Orr III Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2025.
Link to:
- Aceh (1571-79) kupang Ali Ri'ayat Syah I
- Samudra-Pasai (1579) kupang
- Aceh (1586-89) kupang Ali bin Munwar Shah
- Coins and currency dated 1579