Indian Antiquary Vol 42

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarkar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 99

APRIL, 1913.]
THE OBSOLETE MALAY TIN QURRENOY
96
gajah
double tali }
15
S gajah 1 buaya
21 penjuru (bělalang 184
3 pěnjura ayam (ingot)
viss 25 kurakura
standard of Far Eastern
av. weight kurakura 314
5 pěnjura 3 buaya
14 viss lingot)
great viss of commerce 377 bělalang
6 pěnjuru
1} viss One interesting point, as showing the force of commercial necessities on a people, is that we have (ante, p. 90) & "pagoda " ingot weighing a tali, and a "sugarloaf" ingot weighing a kati, both out of scale. This shows that the tali and kati were of such importance as standards of commercial weight that they had to be specially provided for under each method of reckoning.
There must always bave been much confusion in the use of the two scales of the ingot and gambar pieces, unless they were not concurrent, i.e., unless they were in vogue only in separate places and periods, which is not at all likely.48 At the same time the above tables show that there Was a simple and easily understood proportion between the various gambar pieces in circulation.
Thus, taking all the available ingot and gambar pieces together, we get the remarkable facts that on the "pagoda" scale there were issued, on the basis of the keping or cash, & series of 10 coins " in the proportion of
1: 2: 3: 418a: 8: 20 : 40 : 80: 160: 200. On the "sugarloaf " scale, on the basis of pönjuru, the proportion of another series of 10 " coins" is
1: 2: 4: 5: 8: 10: 12: 16:20: 24. As a matter of fact, however, the bases of the two scales were, no doubt, the kati or lower standard of Malay av. weight for the “pagoda” scale and the tali or string of cash for the "sugarloaf" scale. On this assumption we can get at the minds of the issuers of the tin ingot currency and observe that they intended to make the tin pieces represent the following proportions :-That is, on the “pagoda" scale.
5: 4: 2: < 1: kati >::: to further dividing the lowest of these denominations into , , }, to meet surrounding commercial requirements. On the "sugarloaf" scale the proportions intended were
3:23; 2:13, 11 <1: tali >: : : : It is interesting to observe that the pagoda scale works out to 200 képing or cash, i, e., to half a dollar of 400 cash or 100 cents, and that the sugarloaf scale works ont to 24 penjuru (24 x 6+ = 150 cents) to a dollar and a half. This gives a proportion between the pagoda and sugarloaf scales of 1: 3. Bat, unless there were ready means of identifying specimens) this fact would not be of any practical use for appraising the relative value of pieces, when converting those of one scale into the other.
The various species of gambar pieces had also a clear and readily remembered proportion between themselves. Thus, from the specimens already available we get the following proportions.
# See remarks above on the existence of ingots out of scale. A No specimen of the 1 oont gambar piece is as yet available to mo.