The Dutch in ceylon

The Dutch in Ceylon 1658 - 1796

The Dutch occupied the Portuguese fortress of Ceylon during the years 1638 to 1658. The Dutch dated their occupation of Ceylon from 1658 when Jaffna was occupied but, like the Portuguese, they never occupied the interior where the Rajas of Kandy continued to retain suzerainty. In 1668 the French establish a factory at Trincomalee, but they were soon turned out by the Dutch. In 1655 the Dutch commenced authorising local currency by counter-stamping the Company monogram and appropriate mint initial on current Portuguese tangas. Dutch countermarks were also impressed on other current silver coin. Countermarks were applied in the settlement at Galle from 1655 and thereafter at Colombo and lastly, in 1658, at Jaffna. Not long after this time the Dutch began striking anonymous un-dated copper coins bearing their value within a wreath on obverse and reverse. These were struck at Colombo and Jaffna (c. 1660-1720). At a later period dated issues from the various Dutch factories were authorised in 1783. During the intervening period, c. 1720-1783, local currency needs appear to have been supplied primarily by importation. No indigenous coinage appears to have been struck during the three-quarters of a century leading up to resumption of extensive local mint activity from 1783.

Galle mint, 1783 - 1793

AE 2 Stiuvers 1789, 21,6 gram
Obv.: Company monogram surmounted by "G", value below: 2 - S
Rev.: Date with the value in Singhalese
C. Scholten 1337a, KM 30, Mitchener 1979; 2193

Colombo mint, circa 1660 - 1720

AE 1 stiuver without year, 14,95 gram Obv. and rev.: 1 St within a wreath C. Scholten 1290f, KM 19. , Mitchener 1979; 2176
Another of the same type but another stamp. 23-25 mm, 15,39 gram

Colombo mint, 1783 - 1795 (Copper and tin)

AE 4 3/4 stiver bar without year (1785) 61 gm.
Obverse: On left; 4 3/4 above ST. On right; Company monogram (VOC) with C (Colombo).
Reverse: Like obverse.

AE Stuiver 1785
Obv.: Company monogram (VOC) surmounted by "C" (Colombo)
Rev.: I STIUVER 1785
Mitchener 1979, 2186-89, KM 26

Trincomale Mint, 1789 - 1793

The same place where the Danes in 1620 was beginning building the first fort in "Danish India".

AE Stuiver 1792
Obv.: Company monogram (VOC) surmounted by "T" (Trincomale)
Rev.: I S T 1792 (1 stiuver 1792)
C. Scholten 1351
Mitchener 1979, 2195-97, KM 34

Litterature used:
C. Scholten, The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories 1601-1948, Amsterdam 1953
Mitchener 1979; Non-Islamic States & Western Colonies AD 600-1979, London 1979
KM; Standard Catalog of World Coins by Chester L. Krause m.fl.

Here you can find more colonial coins from the personal collection of Jan Lingen'

Danish Pagodas, gold

In the H. W. Codrington, Ceylon Coins and Currency, Colombo 1924 on the page 128 you can find following named about the danish gold pagoda.	UBJ 261, KM 174
Early in 1795 a new variety of pagoda appears in Jaffna, namely, the Tranquebar Porto Novo or Tranquebar Scott pagoda. Of these, a hundred were valued at Tuticorin as equal to 86 7/8 Company and 94 1/2 new or 95 1/2 old Porto Novo pagodas. The Company's pagoda was now worth 153 instead of 102 stuivers owing to the premium, and accordingly this new pagoda was valued at 132 147/160 stuivers.

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