Ceylon 1785-C stuiver
This specimen was lot 2414 in Stephen Album sale 47 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2023), where it sold for $180. The catalog description[1] noted, "CEYLON (DUTCH): AE stuiver, Colombo, 1785, Dutch East India Company (VOC) issue, a very attractive example for type! PCGS graded AU55. On the advice of the mintmaster, Fredrik Damman, the Council of Colombo, resolved on February 13, 1783 to have dudus of 4 duits (1 stuiver) copper dump coins struck." 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 was struck 1783-95, towards the end of Dutch rule. It was struck simultaneously with stuivers with Tamil legends (KM 27), Sinhalese legends (KM 28) and a stuiver with the denomination abbreviated "I ST" (KM 34, struck at Galle). The Dutch type shown here is the most common.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper, this specimen 13.76 g.
Catalog reference: KM-26.
- 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 47, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2023.
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