Samudra-Pasai (1579) kupang
This specimen was lot 1536 in Stephen Album sale 50 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2024), where it sold for $1,200. The catalog description[1] noted, "ACEH: Abd al-Djalil, 1579, AV kupang, probably struck during his brief rule as the local ruler of Samudra-Pasai, Jawi legend `abd / al-jalil malik / al-tahir // al-sultan / al-`adil, beautiful luster, Choice AU, R." The kupang was a small gold coin introduced in the thirteenth century in the sultanate of Samudra-Pasai. Half and double kupangs exist. The state of Samudra-Pasai was conquered by the sultan of Aceh in the early sixteenth century and its independence terminated. The ruler cited here, Abd al-Djalil, is not listed among the rulers of either state and was likely a local chief who attempted to rebel. The year 1579 was a good year for such an attempt as the Aceh sultanate went thru five rulers in that time. Samudra-Pasai eventually lent its name to the island of Sumatra, where it is located.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specifications: 0.6 g, gold, this specimen 0.61 g.
Catalog reference: Leyten-9a, Fr-16 (called a "coupang" therein).
- 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 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.
Link to:
- Aceh (1537-71) kupang Alauddin al-Kahar
- Aceh (1571-79) kupang Ali Ri'ayat Syah I
- Aceh (1579-86) kupang Ala'ad-Din ibn Ahmad
- Aceh (1586-89) kupang Ali bin Munwar Shah
- Coins and currency dated 1579