Duit 1735 - Netherlands East-Indies (Dutch East India Company

The

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

( nl, Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie, often known as VOC) was a

chartered company A chartered company is an association with investors or shareholders that is incorporated and granted rights (often exclusive rights) by royal charter (or similar instrument of government) for the purpose of trade, exploration, and/or coloni ...

which issued a considerable series of coinage in bronze, silver and gold for its territories in the

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

between 1602 and 1799.

Background

The

(VOC) was established as a

in 1602 and was designed to replace a number of earlier Dutch trading companies. To prevent the constant infighting between rival companies, the Dutch States-General gave the company officially recognised status and allowed it fulfill some functions usually reserved for a state. The company's charter allowed it to have its own military forces, make treaties, and coin its own money. It was given full powers to act between the Cape of Good Hope and the

Straits of Magellan The Strait of Magellan (), also called the Straits of Magellan, is a navigable sea route in southern Chile separating mainland South America to the north and Tierra del Fuego to the south. The strait is considered the most important natural pas ...

. The company grew rapidly, founding towns and colonies at

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

(modern Jakarta), and elsewhere.

Coins

During the 200 years of its existence, VOC issued large quantities and many different patterns of coins. Writers on the subject distinguish between the types produced in the Netherlands for the company and those issued by it locally in Asia. Both types often circulated together, but European coins were more common in some areas than others. Most coins issued for the company carried its distinctive monogram of the interlocked letters "VOC". The most common denominations were the

Guilder Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch and German ''gulden'', originally shortened from Middle High German ''guldin pfenninc'' " gold penny". This was the term that became current in the southern and western parts of the Holy Roman Emp ...

, Ducatoon, Stiver (or Stuiver) and Doit (Duit). Some fractions, like the Half-Doit, were also produced. Coins were issued in the Netherlands during the mid-17th century and again from 1744 until its dissolution. Coins were struck in

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

, bronze and, unusually,

pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades ...

. They were issued by the local mints of the Netherlands, including

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Net ...

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

and Overijssel. The locally produced coins in Asia display more variation and were produced in gold, silver and bronze.

Countermark A countermarked, punchmarked or counterstamped coin is a coin that has had some additional mark or symbol punched into it at some point after it was originally produced while in circulation. This practice is now obsolete. Countermarking can be ...

s are sometimes seen on these coins, either stamped by the company or by local private individuals. Foreign coins, including Japanese '' Koban'' or Surat rupees, were sometimes countermarked by the company for its own use.

References

Bibliography

* * *

External links

VOC Kenniscentrum
{{Indonesian currency and coinage Early Modern currencies Coins of the Netherlands Currencies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Currencies of Indonesia Coins of Sri Lanka Dutch East India Company Historical currencies of India Coins of India

Background

Coins

See also

References

Bibliography

Further reading

External links