Brunei pitis

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The pitis was a currency of Brunei that existed in coin form. It is also referred to as the picil by Antonio Pigafetta[1] and some variants of it was referred to as the kue and the paku (English: piece). It was later replaced by the Straits dollar in Brunei, which is valued at 4000 pitis[2] or 800 paku[3] and at par with the Spanish dollar.

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[edit] Barter Currency

Before the introduction of coins to Brunei, Cowrie shells were used as bartering currency in purchasing small items[4]. Brunei is also famous for its bronze teapots, which were used as currency in barter trade along the coast of North Borneo.

[edit] Chinese Coins

Wén coins of China (Song through Qing Dynasties) and some similar Japanese and Korean coins. The chinese coins were known as pitis in Brunei
Wén coins of China (Song through Qing Dynasties) and some similar Japanese and Korean coins. The chinese coins were known as pitis in Brunei

See also Chinese wen

The first coinage used in Brunei were Chinese coins[5] which were first type of coins to be refered to as the pitis in Brunei[3]. These coins were round with a hole in the middle and surrounded for four Chinese characters. Its use probably started with the Chinese contact with Brunei between the 9th and 12th century[1].

When Antonio Pigafetta who was Ferdinand Magellan's chronicler visited Brunei in 1521, he wrote "The money is made out of bronze pierced in the middle in order that it may be strung. On each side of it are four Chinese characters, which are letters of the Great King of China. We call the money picils." Picils is a reference to the pitis[1].

When Brunei started issuing its own currency, the Chinese pitis was referred to as the "Kue" to differentiate them from the pitis issued by Brunei. The Chinese coins circulated in Brunei until around the last half of the 19th century[1].

[edit] Tin Coins

The next set of coins widely used in Brunei was the soft tin lead alloy issued by the various Sultans. These are further subdivided into about three sets. In reverse chronological order, the first set bears the names of known Sultans, the second was issued by unnamed sultans and the third with an anonymous flowery design. These coins were issued from about the 16th century to about the 19th century[1].

[edit] Unnamed sultan

Coins of the unnamed Sultans have the honorific title of the Sultan minted on the coins. Some of the titles includes Malikul-Adil[6] (The Just Sultan)[4] and Malikul-Thahir (The Victorious Sultan). The title is generic though it has been speculated that the coins belonged to that of Sultan Hassan who ruled between 1605 and 1620[1].

[edit] First dated Pitis

The first pitis[7] issued in Brunei with a definate date was that issued by Sultan Abdul Momin, who rule from 1853 to 1885. The principal metal of this coin is lead with some tin content. On the front, the coin shows the Royal umbrellas and other Brunei state insignia. The coin also has an inscription translated as "By order of the State Financial Administration of Brunei, in the year of the Prophet 1285"[1]. The year of the Prophet 1285, or 1285 Hijrah (AH 1285), is the date according to the Islamic calendar and it corresponds to AD 1868. The coins were of two denominations - ½ and 1 pitis[2].

[edit] Bronze "Star" Pitis

The last Sultan to issue his own coin was Sultan Hashim who issued the "star coin"[8] in 1886 (printed as AH 1304 on the coin) which was minted in Birmingham, England[9]. These coins were bronze and has on the obverse a star inside a circle with an Arabic inscription outside. The reverse has a "1" inside a circle with "SULTANATE OF BRUNEI 1304".

When Sultan Hashim agreed to have the British Resident in Brunei in 1906, he also acquiesced that the other currencies used by the British in the Straits Settlement (Malaya), Singapore, North Borneo (Sabah) and Sarawak to be used in Brunei[9]. Despite the introduction of the Straits dollar, the previous local monies were still used with peculiar exchange rates in the earlier days. All the previous pitis coins were called paku (English: piece) where 4 paku make ½ cent and 8 paku make one cent or one kayu (sakayu)[3]. However, officially, 4000 pitis equalled one Spanish dollar[2].

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Brunei History Seen Through Its Coinage - last retrieved 7th June 2008
  2. ^ a b c Krause, Chester L. and Clifford Mishler (1991). Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801-1991, 18th ed., Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-150-1. 
  3. ^ a b c Old Brunei Coins - last retrieved 7th June 2008
  4. ^ Image of Kue coins
  5. ^ Image of Malikul-Adil coin
  6. ^ Image of 1868 pitis
  7. ^ Image of Star pitis
  8. ^ a b Brunei Currency Notes before 1967

[edit] External links


Preceded by:
cowrie shells		 Currency of Brunei
9th to 12th Century – 1906		 Succeeded by:
Straits dollar
Ratio: Officially 4000 pitis = 1 Straits dollar
Unofficially 800 paku = 1 Straits dollar