Chinese Coins: A Symbol Of Brunei's Rich Cultural History

The first coins used in Brunei were Chinese coins, initially called 'Pitis', which translates to 'piece' in English. The use of these coins likely began with Chinese contact with Brunei between the 9th and 12th centuries. When Antonio Pigafetta, Ferdinand Magellan's chronicler, visited Brunei in 1521, he wrote, The money is made out of bronze pierced in the middle in order that it may be strung. On each side of it are four Chinese characters, which are letters of the Great King of China. Chinese coins continued to circulate in Brunei until around the second half of the 19th century.

Chinese coins were the first type of coins used in Brunei

> "The money is made out of bronze pierced in the middle in order that it may be strung. On each side of it are four Chinese characters, which are letters of the Great King of China. We call the money picils."

The term "picils" refers to the "Pitis" coins. These early Chinese coins were first used in Brunei from the 10th century and continued to circulate until around the second half of the 19th century.

In the 16th century, Brunei began issuing its own version of the "Pitis" coins, which featured a ""Sultanate of Brunei" stamp on the front and a royal umbrella imprint on the back. To differentiate between the Chinese and Bruneian coins, the former were then referred to as "Kue". The local "Pitis" coins were issued from the 16th to the 19th century.

In addition to the "Pitis" and "Kue" coins, other forms of currency used in Brunei included cowrie shells, bronze teapots, silver Spanish dollars, and iron ingots.

Chinese coins were called 'Pitis' in Brunei

Chinese coins were called "Pitis" in Brunei, likely beginning with Chinese contact with the country between the 9th and 12th centuries. The use of these coins as currency in Brunei may have started as early as the 10th century and continued until the second half of the 19th century.

The term "Pitis" was also used to refer to previous Islamic coins. When local "Pitis" were introduced, the Chinese "Pitis" were renamed Kue to differentiate them from the Bruneian coins.

The Chinese "Pitis" coins were designed with a “Sultanate of Brunei” stamp on the obverse and a royal umbrella imprint on the reverse. They were issued from the 16th to the 19th century.

In addition to the Chinese "Pitis" coins, Brunei's early currency also included cowrie shells and bronze teapots, which were used in barter trade along the coast of northern Borneo.

Chinese pitis were later referred to as 'kue' to differentiate them from the Bruneian coins

Due to the close ties between China and Brunei, the first type of coins used in Brunei were Chinese coins. These were initially called 'Pitis'. The Chinese pitis were issued from the 16th to the 19th century and were designed with a 'Sultanate of Brunei' stamp on the front and a royal umbrella imprint on the back. Later, local 'Pitis' coins were introduced, which also had 'Sultanate of Brunei' stamped on the front but featured the royal umbrella imprinted on the back. To differentiate the local 'Pitis' from the Chinese pitis, the Chinese coins were then referred to as 'Kue'.

Previous Islamic coins were also called 'Pitis'. Another type of coin used in Brunei was the 'Duit besi', which translates to 'Iron money'. Iron was considered valuable at the time, and 100 one-square-inch pieces were valued at 1 dollar.

Chinese coins were used in Brunei until the second half of the 19th century

Chinese coins were the first type of currency used in Brunei. Their use probably began with Chinese contact with Brunei between the 9th and 12th centuries. When Antonio Pigafetta, Ferdinand Magellan's chronicler, visited Brunei in 1521, he wrote about the use of Chinese coins as currency. These coins were referred to as "picils" or "pitis" in Brunei.

The use of Chinese coins in Brunei continued until around the second half of the 19th century. During this time, the country also started issuing its own currency, known as the "pitis." To differentiate between the two types of coins, the Chinese "pitis" were then referred to as "kue." The local "pitis" coins featured the "Sultanate of Brunei" stamp on the front and a royal umbrella imprint on the back.

In addition to the "pitis" and "kue," other forms of currency were also used in Brunei during this period. This included cowrie shells, bronze teapots, silver Spanish dollars, and iron ingots.

In the second half of the 19th century, Brunei continued to develop its monetary system. In 1868 (AH 1285), the country issued tin coins denominated in "pitis." This was followed by the introduction of the Straits Settlements currency, which included the "duit bintang" or "star coin" minted in Birmingham, England, in 1886-1887. While the previous coins were taken out of circulation, they were still used with certain exchange rates.

Overall, the use of Chinese coins in Brunei until the second half of the 19th century reflects the country's early adoption of currency and its close ties with China.

Chinese coins were first used in Brunei between the 9th and 12th centuries

The adoption of Chinese coins in Brunei can be traced back to the country's early contacts with China. These coins were known as "Pitis" in Brunei, derived from the term used by Ferdinand Magellan's chronicler, Antonio Pigafetta, who visited Brunei in 1521. In his writings, Pigafetta described the Chinese coins as "made out of bronze pierced in the middle in order that it may be strung" with "four Chinese characters, which are letters of the Great King of China" on each side.

The use of Chinese coins in Brunei continued until the second half of the 19th century. During this time, Brunei also issued its own currency, with the first local "Pitis" coins bearing the stamp of the "Sultanate of Brunei" on the obverse and a royal umbrella imprint on the reverse. These local "Pitis" coins were introduced to differentiate them from the Chinese "Pitis," which were then referred to as "Kue."

In addition to the "Pitis" and "Kue," other forms of currency circulated in Brunei, including silver Spanish dollars and iron ingots. The Spanish-American silver dollar, brought by the Manila galleons, was widely used for international trade from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Iron was considered valuable, and 100 one-square-inch iron pieces were valued at 1 dollar.

The history of currency in Brunei also included the use of cowrie shells and bronze teapots as bartering currency for purchasing small items and trade along the coast of northern Borneo.

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