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JULY, 1928)
CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE
125
NOTES ON CURRENCY AND COINAGE AMONG THE BURMESE.
BY SIR RICHARD C. TEMPLE, Bt.
(Continued from page 96.)
H.. Gambling Counters or Jetons. The Siamese Porcelain tokens give an instance of the use of gambling counters as actual currency, but in Burma I collected a large number of jetons, which were metal counters made in the form of coins for gambling purposes only. These I gave to the British and other Museums (Fitzwilliam at Cambridge, Edinburgh, Hull, Brighton, etc.), and reproduced about fifty of them on two Plates (IV and V) in the hope of getting further information regarding them, which has never been fulfilled.
An examination of Plates IV and V shows that the first sixteen figures are obviously of Chinese origin and are in fact imitations of "cash ". Figs. 17 and 18 are imitations of Fig. 16, which probably had a definite position as to value. Figs. 19 to 22 are marked for value, as Fig. 19 has ten circles on it, and Fig. 20 has twelve circles. Fig. 21 has six punch marks and Fig. 22 several special punch marks.
Figs. 23 to 31 appear to form a group, of which Figs. 23 to 28 are differentiated by signs of the Zodiac. Fig. 29 has khu on it, and Figs. 30 and 31 seem to represent some special value.
All the above are on Plate IV and are all in the form of coins. In fact Figs, 1 and 2 are brass "cash ". Figs. 3 to 31 are of lead and have blank reverses, except when the plate shows otherwise, and that they were thought in some cases to have been coins is shown by a note I inade as to the figures on Plate IV, viz., that I was told they were lead coins used in gambling belonging to different daings (gambling-house keepers) to prevent cheating. Their Burmese name is k'elet'mà and their Talaing name is aknlet'mà (akú in Talaing meaning lead + Burmese termination). The value given them was ma-mat, a quarter of a mů (see ante, vol. XXVI, pp. 319-320). This last term was given me in Talaing us mů-mdii (mů being Burmese), or mu-mé (mé-mat)69.
The figs. 32 to 46 on Plate V are all of copper and are irregular in shape an:1 more definitely counters and not coins. Figs. 32, 33, 38, 39 and 40 have a "cash " hole in them. Fig. 34 is punched with one eight-pointed star in one sample and with four similar stars in two other samples. Fig. 37 has a large eight-pointed star in the centre on both sides. Figs. 39 and 40 are cut with five six-pointed stars each, and fig. 38 has four groups of marks punched on it. The whole group seems to be marked so as to represent value.
Fig. 35 has one small central punch mark, and fig. 36 a central and four sets of three marks each punched on it round the rim. Here again value seems to be represented.
Figs. 43 to 46 form a specially shaped group. Fig. 46 is blank. Fig. 43 has thwd or ngabi punched on it, and on its reverse are punched the marks on fig. 44, which are a circle and ngàn four times round the rim. Fig. 45 has ngàn punched four times round the edge : all this apparently to show value.
Figs. 41 and 42 are again of peculiar shape : fig. 41 with several cuts on it, and fig. 42 with & cross cut on it.
Little as they look like it, all these pieces were stated to me to have been originally British pice or copper quarter-anna pieces, hammered out so as to be defaced and then marked by the daings to prevent cheating.
According to my notes, the game played forty years ago in Burma was called khépvit kazā. and was played with pice, i.e., any small coin. The players marked on the ground thus :
a bole called a kwin:.
a line called kán :di: space
& line called kyan : 89 I may noto here that fig. 47 is a silver stippled peacock rupeo of Mindon Min, and figs. 48 and 49 copper coins-all noted elsewhere : fig. 48 is & smaller denomination of fig. 49.
