Early Indonesia (Samudera Pasai Sultanate) Gold Kupang 1270 to 1513

This small Islamic harbor kingdom on northern Sumatra is known under various names, which can make searches difficult: 'Samudra-Pasai', 'Samudera Pasai', and 'Samudera Darussalam' are most commonly encountered. Located in a great location for trade with a variety of peoples, from the Indians at first to the Portuguese at later times, this kingdom prospered for a while. It became necessary to strike these small gold coins - tiny little things weighing just 0.55 to 0.65 grams.

They are quite scarce, and carry a large numismatic premium over their gold content. Each coin contains around 0.019 troy ounces of gold. Use a website like Kitco.com to look up the current value of gold, and then multiply it by 0.019 to get the approximate gold value of one of these coins. The number 0.019 corresponds to a coin weighing 0.59 grams. There are 31.1 grams in a troy ounce, and 0.59/31.1 = 0.019.

worn: gold value + $20 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: gold value + $75
well preserved: gold value + $120

The inscriptions on the coins are an early form of the Malay language written in the Jawi alphabet. They identify the sultan and help date the coins to within that Sultan's reign. It's outside our expertise to read these inscriptions and identify the sultans, but if you already know the sultan, you can use the list of sultans on the Malay Wikipedia to find the date range of that sultan's reign.

The coin in our picture was auctioned by Jean Elsen et Ses Fils in Brussels for 85 euros (about $110 US dollars) during a 2012 auction. CoinQuest thanks Jean for use of his coin photo. It's a beauty!
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