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BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1962g), ca. 1750-1850, VF-XF

Currency:USD Category:Coins & Paper Money / World Coins - Asia & Middle-East Start Price:280.00 USD Estimated At:300.00 - 400.00 USD
BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1962g), ca. 1750-1850, VF-XF
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0.00USD+ applicable fees & taxes.
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280.00 x 1 unit = 280.00USDApplicable fees & taxes are added at checkout.
[?]Live Online Auction Starts In 2025 Sep 19 @ 09:00 (UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST)
IMPORTANT NOTE - The Buyer's Premium is now $20 per lot or 20% of the hammer price, whichever amount is greater. However, we have also reduced opening bids on lower value items to adjust for the new Buyer's Premium structure, so all-in costs are still very close to what they were in the past. This change in fee structure will allow us to continue to offer coins valued at less than $100 in addition to our higher value offerings. Contact us with any questions.
BRUNEI: brass cannon money (1962g), ca. 1750-1850, SS-60, Opitz p.100, known as meriam kecil in Malay, comprising a 230mm-long barrel with a 16mm caliber, mounted on a 90 x 195mm four-wheel carriage (without resting rod), the tails of the carriage bent slightly inward, a very early example, used as currency in Brunei, Sabah, Sarawak and other parts of Southeast Asia, VF-XF. 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.See www.horniman.ac.uk/object/5.519/ for a very similar example.