1497

BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1670g), 19th to early 20th century, Choice VF

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - Asia & Middle-East Start Price:280.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 500.00 USD
BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1670g), 19th to early 20th century, Choice VF
SOLD
1,400.00USD+ buyer's premium (280.00)
This item SOLD at 2024 Sep 20 @ 16:58UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST
PLEASE NOTE: You must request a bid limit when you register. If you would like to have a large bid limit, you must provide adequate references, or you must have previously established strong credit history with our company. Late registration may result in delayed approval.
BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1670g), 19th to early 20th century, SS-p.529, Op-p.100, comprising a 213mm-long barrel (17mm caliber) and a 200mm-long four-wheeled carriage, with musket inside barrel, axle under rear right wheel fractured, attractive old patina, used as currency in Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and other parts of Southeast Asia, Choice VF, RR, ex Jürgen M. Wilmes Collection. These miniature cannons were made of various metals including bronze, brass, copper, and iron, and were actually fired on important occasions such as weddings and the birth of children. Valued by weight at $25-30 a picul, they were used extensively for a multitude of purposes, such as the barter of goods, bride price, payment of fines and the purchase of slaves (a slave being valued in piculs of brass guns). With the introduction of coins, these cannons gradually fell out of use. Many were also melted down during World War II, which accounts for their rarity today.