Islamic 1803-25 Octagonal tin pitis, Badar-ud-Din II , 1219 AH, Palembang Sultanate (Rob#10)

Arabic inscriptions "Masruf fi bilad Palembang 1219" (1804) / Blank. 18mm, 1.39 grams. Robinson #10; Krause 123; Millies #195-197.

There are many varieties of this type listed in Robinson's "Palembang Coins - we make no attempt to distinguish between the many different sub-types here.

The Palembang Sultanate, founded in 1659 in southern Sumatra, controlled trade along the Musi River and became a key center for pepper and tin commerce with Chinese, Arab, and European merchants. Its rulers balanced local authority with Dutch pressure, but after conflict with the VOC, the Dutch abolished the sultanate in 1823. Though short-lived, it preserved Malay-Islamic court culture and linked Sumatra’s maritime past with the colonial era.