
High quality rare tin pitis, Mahmud Baha-ud-Din II (1804-1821), Palembang mint, Palembang Sultanate, Sumatra, Indonesia
Extremely stylized Arabic inscriptions: Zarb Fi Balad Palembang Dar al-Islam ("Coin of the city of Palembang, the abode of Islam") / Blank. 19mm, 0.89 grams. Krause -; Millies #202-203; Cf. Zeno 99341; Robinson 14.
High quality example. 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 arabic on these coins is very stylized and difficult to read. These coins used to be quite rare and expensive, until a number of large hoards made them generally available and relatively cheap.
Palembang is a city in the Northern area of Sumatra, Indonesia. It was once a Dutch colony, and later the seat of the Sultanate of Palembang. During Napoleonic Wars in 1812, the sultan at that time, Mahmud Badaruddin II repudiated British claims to suzerainty, which was responded by British by attacking Palembang, sacking the court, and installing sultan's more cooperative younger brother, Najamuddin to the throne.