{"product_id":"scarce-fisheye-xian-ping-yuan-bao-pitis-1600s-voc-issues-in-sumatra","title":"Scarce \"Fisheye\" Xian Ping Yuan Bao pitis, 1633-40, VOC issues in Sumatra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eXian Ping Yuan Bao\u003c\/em\u003e \/ Blank. 18mm, 0.62 grams. Krause -; Millies -; Robinson #-; cf. Zeno 124671.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVery crude so-called \"fisheye\" 咸平元寳 Xian Ping Yuan Bao, cast in Palembang, Banten, and Batavia under VOC contract. The issues are very similar so there really any way to tell them apart. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis type is known from a wide area extending from Palembang to Bali. VOC records indicate that similar pitis were produced under contract in Batavia between 1633 and 1640. Contemporary documents describe them as being struck primarily from lead with a small amount of tin; the VOC supplied the metal and purchased the finished coins. Some surviving specimens are made of relatively hard metal and appear to contain little or no tin. These pitis imitate the crude Chinese-made cash coins imported for trade in Banten and Java. However, attributing any specific specimen with certainty to the VOC-sponsored production of the 1630s–1640s remains impossible. It can only be said that they closely resemble Chinese prototypes documented around 1600. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NumisMallstore","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51317893333307,"sku":"x12234-58221","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0447\/1750\/6710\/files\/w58221.jpg?v=1780763498","url":"https:\/\/www.numismall.com\/products\/scarce-fisheye-xian-ping-yuan-bao-pitis-1600s-voc-issues-in-sumatra","provider":"NumisMall","version":"1.0","type":"link"}