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The name originates from the South Indian currency unit fanam, Tamil panam. At the
beginning of the 17th century 12 fanos had the value of 1 larin. The Dutch, the English,
and the French minted fanams in silver of varying fineness. In French Pondicherry they
were called fanons and were minted in both silver and bronze.
The Danish fano/royalin have a fineness of 890-926. In 1731 a royalin weighed 1,63 grams
on average and in 1773 1,30 grams.
Derived from the Tamil word Kâsu, which is derived from Sanskrit: kärsha, which in the compound kârshapânâ had the meaning of a small coin of a certain weight. The Tamil word kâsu means both money and small coin.
South Indian gold coin known in many variations from Early Middle Ages till the 19th
century. The pagoda was also minted by the Europeans in India. The average weight of the
Danish pagodas weighed by me is 3,40 grams.
The accounts from 1763-1770 state that: 1 star pagoda is 26 fanams, 1 Porto Novo pagoda is
27 fanams, 1 Negapatam pagoda is 27 fanams 55 cash.
(Danish: Piaster. German: Stück van Achten. Spanish: Peso de a Ocho) Common Spanish American silver coin. Large amounts of 8 real pieces were minted in the Spanish colonies in America between the 15th and the 19the century. They weighed 25,57 grams falling to 24,43 grams in 1772.
Silvercoin, Danish name for fano (see fano)
From Sanskrit rupya meaning minted silver. The denomination is known from the 16th century in India being a coin with a high content of silver weighing about 10,7-11,7 grams.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 19, KM 19. The name of the Danish town Aalborg.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 13, KM 12. The island of Amager near Copenhagen.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 34, KM 31. May be the fortress Bahus or the county of Bohus-län (To day in Sweden)
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 2, KM 3. Bewintheber is Dutch for governor, administrator, overseer. In the charter of 1616 the word is used for overseer. Perhaps the legend refers to the Company.
The denomination kas
On lead kas from Christian IV and Frederik III. CH is an abbreviation for the company ship Christianshavn.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 18, KM 15. The Charitas, a yacht fitted out in 1631, and which arrived at Tranquebar 1632.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 6, KM 7. The company ship Christianshavn.
Stands for the Danish Asiatic Company 1732 - 1777
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 33, KM 38. The home country, Denmark.
Obverse on lead kas from Christian IV. The legend refers to the fort of Dansborg / the colony as the official mint.
On lead kas from Christian IV and Frederik III. DB refers to the fort of Dansborg.
On lead kas from Christian V. DC stands for Danish East India Company (Dansk Ostindisk Compagni)
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 66, KM 33. The letter D for Dansborg or Denmark and the value kas.
Dansk Ostindisk Compagni (Danish East India Company) 1620 - 1650, 1670 - 1729.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 51, KM 45. Abbreviation for Dansborg.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 26, KM 24. The company ship Den Gyldne Sol (The Golden Sun).
On obverse on lead kas from Frederik III, UBJ 92, KM 49. The obverse and reverse legends (3RD) should be read together and to mean "Frederik III Rex Daniæ".
The denomination Fano
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 31, KM 26. The company ship Fortuna.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 5, KM 6. The company ship Fortuna.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 50, KM 29. Religious legend for God.
On lead kas from Frederik III, UBJ 90, KM 54. "Hope" may express a longing or wish for better times or a ship from Denmark
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 30, KM 27. This legend is problematic. Either HOPONTVM, Latin for the Danish town Hobro; or the ship Posthesten; or a Chinese official - a Hoppo ?.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 79, KM 41. Religious legend (see IEHO VAH) with abbreviation sign = after Dan for Dansborg or Denmark, and the year of minting.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 47, KM 30. Religious legend meaning The Lord.
On different lead kas from Christian IV, some also with the year. Religious legend with different explanations: First 3 letters for Jesus; In Hoc Salus = "In this (is) Salvation", Jesus Hominium Salvator = "Jesus (is) the Salvator of Mankind".
apparently with abbreviation - or omega sign above. See IHS.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 8, KM 9. The company ship Jupiter.
On lead kas from Christian V, UBJ 145, KM 95. The K probably refers to von Kalnein. It could also mean kas.
The denomination kas.
On copper 10 kas from Frederik IV. The denomination Kas.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 11, KM 10. Dubious meaning. Perhaps the small vessel Queda, which was wrecked between 1631 and 1634 when she was chartered by some Englishmen.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 20, KM 22. The Danish town Køge.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 27, KM 25. The Danish island of Læsø.
On lead kas from Frederik III. Could be the abbreviations for Norway, but the meaning is unclear.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 28, KM 23. The Danish town of Nibe.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 7, KM 8. The company ship Perlen.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 52, KM 37. There is no plausible explanation for this legend.
On 1 and 2 royalin (fanam) and 4 kas 1786 from Christian VII. The reason for this R is probably Adolf Fridrich Restorff who came to Tranquebar on 28th June. In 1786 on application he should have taken over as governor but died on 14th November 1786. On the last coins of 1786 he was remembered by placing an R on the reverse.
On the obverse on lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 57, KM 1. The letters RFP with C4 is understood to represent Christian IV´s motto Regna Firmat Pietas (Piety Strenghten the Realms).
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 9, KM 14. The company ship St. Anna.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 14, KM 13. Probably the Danish island Sjælland (Zealand).
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 21, KM 21. The Danish town of Skagen.
On lead kas from Frederik III, UBJ 133, KM 52. The yacht St Peter and St Poul and the year (16)50.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 79, KM 41. See S P P 50. DB must stand for Dansborg.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 22, KM 20. The Danish town of Stege.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 15, KM 16. The company ship St. Jacob.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 32, KM 36. The yacht St Micael.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 16, KM 36. Probably the Danish place name of Sundby.
The colony Tranquebar
The colony of Tranquebar and the denomination.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 1, KM 4. The colony of Tranquebar.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 17, KM 18. This may be the Danish place name Valdby. But in the same period that the coins were struck Governor Pessart bought the small yacht Valdby around 1638, so it could be this that is referred to on the coin.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 10, KM 11. Monogram copied from that of the Dutch East India Company with an added D for Dansborg or Denmark.
On lead kas from Christian IV, UBJ 77, KM 42. Perhaps the letters for the ship Waldbye and the year for minting. See VAL DE BYE.
On coins from Christian V. WHVK refers to Wulf Heinrich von Kalnein.
© 1998 - 2000 Uno Barner Jensen