History of the Pitis Coin: Islamic States of Indonesia

Illustrated Specimen Details: Pitis Coin

Example Specimen: Pitis, 18th Century (Palembang Sultanate, Indonesia)

Historical Context: This uniface coin originates from the Palembang Sultanate in Indonesia, dating to the 18th century. As is customary for many regional issues of this era, the coin bears no date. Coins of this type were produced in large quantities by various local mints with minimal quality control. Consequently, numerous contemporary counterfeits entered circulation, making it quite challenging for modern numismatists to distinguish original official strikes from early fakes.

Design Details: The coin features a characteristic round hole in the center. The obverse bears a legend in Jawi script (a writing system based on Arabic, consisting of the original 31 Arabic letters and 6 additional letters adapted for Southeast Asian phonemes). The inscription confirms it was minted in "Palembang Darussalam" (Darussalam being an Islamic term meaning "abode of peace"). The reverse is blank.

1. ISLAMIC STATES OF INDONESIA — Palembang Sultanate, Demak Sultanate, Jambi Sultanate, Sultanate of Siak (15th-19th centuries): pitis = 1/10 keping.
2. ISLAMIC STATES OF MALAYSIA — Kelantan Sultanate, Malacca Sultanate, Trengganu Sultanate (15th-20th centuries): pitis = 1/10 keping.
3. BRUNEIAN SULTANATE (17th-19th centuries): pitis.
4. KINGDOM OF SIAM (Thailand) (19th-20th centuries): pitis (traditional pre-decimal fraction).

History and Linguistic Origin of the Pitis

About the coin name "pitis": The name originates from the word "picis" (from Mandarin or the northern Chinese dialect "pei tzü"), which translates to "cowrie shell". The shells of these mollusks were widely used as an ancient medium of exchange across Asia and Europe. Another etymological theory suggests the name derives from the Southeast Asian plant Sarcolobus globosus (Malay: "Buah pitis"), whose seeds were used as standard weights in ancient times. Interestingly, the term has been adapted in modern times to denote the cryptocurrency "Pitis Coin," though this has no relation to physical numismatics.

Regional Circulation and Physical Characteristics

The mass issue of primitive pitis coins occurred primarily between the 15th-19th centuries, though earlier issues have been recorded. Long before this period, the Malay Peninsula was heavily influenced by Chinese bronze cash coins, which were locally referred to as pitis. Local imitations quickly emerged, replicating the characteristic center hole of their Chinese prototypes. The primary difference was the use of tin — a metal with massive natural deposits on the peninsula — often alloyed with lead. Varieties with center holes were known as "pitis teboh", while solid ones were called "pitis bountou".

Monetary Role in Siam (Thailand) and Southeast Asia

Beyond the Indonesian archipelago, the pitis circulated widely across the maritime trade regions of the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, playing a vital role in the old Siamese (Thai) monetary structure during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In Siam, the pitis functioned as an everyday petty currency for local markets and rural commerce, serving alongside traditional denominations like the baht, salung, fuang, and att. Following the monetary modernization reforms under Kings Mongkut and Chulalongkorn, which introduced decimal structures and Western machine-struck minting standards, tiny traditional denominations like the pitis were gradually phased out of circulation.

▶