Ceylon 1783-I 2 stuiver
This specimen was lot 3678 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $228. The catalog description[1] noted, "CEYLON (DUTCH): Netherlands East India Company, AE 2 stuivers, 1783-I, VOC monogram, letter I above, 2 S below // Western date above Tamil 1/2 P ("1/2 fanam"), some minor porosity, bold VF." The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ceylon and they quickly seized the coast but were unable to subdue the interior. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1638 but were also unable to conquer the entire island. Fearing French control, the British occupied the Dutch holdings in 1796, which occupation was made permanent by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. This type, noted for 178384, 1788 and 1792-93, was also struck in tin.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper, this specimen 25.5 g.
Catalog reference: KM-29, Sc-1320c.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Passon, Tom, Catalogus van de Munten van de Nederlandse Gebieden Overzee, vanaf 1601 tot heden, Apeldoorn, Netherlands, 2022.
- Scholten, C., The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories, 1601-1948, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman, 1953.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 50, featuring selections from the Dr. Robert A. Rosenfeld Collection, the Hakim Hamidi Collection, the Almer H. Orr III Collection and the Solar Collection, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2024.
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