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1/2 Cent
| Issuer | British East India Company (Penang) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1787 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Dollar (1786-1826) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device consisting of a heart-shaped cartouche enclosing the interlaced monogram 'VEIC' (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie / East India Company) formed by crossed letters, surmounted by a cross fitchée at the top. The four cardinal points of the design are flanked by the individual letters V, E, I, C in the field, reading clockwise. The coin date 1787 appears in the legend. The overall composition is rendered in a bold, low-relief style characteristic of early colonial copper coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
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| Reverse lettering | جزيرہ پرنس ابويليس (Translation: Island Prince of Wales) |
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| Additional information |
Penang — then called Prince of Wales Island — had only just been ceded to Francis Light and the East India Company in 1786, making this among the earliest coinage struck specifically for the settlement. Light had negotiated the transfer from the Sultan of Kedah under circumstances that were, at minimum, misleading: he implied British military support that London had never authorized. The island had no established monetary system, and this copper issue was part of an improvised solution to the immediate problem of petty trade commerce in a brand-new colonial port.
The KM#2.1 designation reflects a die variety distinction from the later KM#2.2 issue.