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Pitis Al Adil
| Issuer | Brunei |
|---|---|
| Year | 1710-1740 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | A stylized decorative motif occupies the central field, composed of four semi-circular arches arranged symmetrically above a single full circle, the latter lacking a central dot. The design is rendered in low relief on a plain, unadorned field, characteristic of the cast tin-lead pitis coinage of Brunei. The flan is irregular in outline, consistent with the hand-cast production methods of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a centrally positioned Arabic inscription in raised relief within an otherwise plain field. The legend reads Al-Adil, a royal epithet meaning 'The Just', referencing the reigning Sultan of Brunei. The script is rendered in a bold, somewhat crude calligraphic style consistent with the hand-cast production typical of early eighteenth-century Bruneian pitis coinage. The irregular flan edges reflect the casting technique employed. |
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| Additional information |
The pitis was Brunei's primary small-change currency during the sultanate's active maritime trading period, when tin-lead casting offered a practical local alternative to imported copper coinage. Sultan Muhammad Alauddin, who reigned across much of this issue's attributed window, presided over a court still conducting tributary relationships with the Qing dynasty while simultaneously managing European trading pressures from both the Dutch and the English. These pitis circulated primarily in bazaar transactions — the smallest unit of everyday commerce — and were cast rather than struck, which accounts for the considerable variation in weight and form seen across surviving specimens.