Aceh (1607-36) kupang
This specimen was lot 76194 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, September 2025), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES. Sumatra. Sultans of Aceh. Kupang, ND (AH 1016-46 [1607-1636]). Iskander Muda. NGC MS-61." 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: 0.57 g, gold, 12 mm diameter, this specimen 0.60 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-16 (under Netherlands East Indies as a general type across rulers).
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, September 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, including Selections from the Richard Margolis Collection and Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
Link to:
- Aceh (1589-1604) kupang Sayyid al-Mukammal
- Aceh (1641-76) kupang Safiat al-Din
- Coins and currency dated 1607