Netherlands East Indies, Java. VOC Duit 1797

Dutch East Indies – VOC
Emergency coin, 1 duit, 1797 – Guillaume Elie Teisseire

Rare tin emergency coin from the United East India Company, struck at Batavia in 1797 under mint master Guillaume Elie Teisseire.

Obverse: VOC monogram with the letter N above it.

Reverse: I / DUIT / 1797.

Due to the shortage of copper duits imported from the Republic, a severe shortage of small change arose in the Dutch East Indies. Therefore, tin emergency coins were produced. Production was overseen by mint master Guillaume Elie Teisseire and began in 1796.

The manufacture of both the planchets and the dies was outsourced to Chinese craftsmen. Consequently, counterfeits appeared quickly, difficult to distinguish from the official issues, usually made of a lead-tin alloy. For this reason, the tin emergency duits were taken out of circulation on 19 May 1797, and most of the issue was melted down. Only a limited number of examples have been preserved, making this issue one of the rarest VOC emergency coins today.

Specifications:

* Material: Tin
* Weight: 6.17 grams

Reference:
Scholten 487 (rare)

Condition:
XF