1783 - 1792 - Ceylan

Galle VOC - Two Stiver

Two stivers VOC copper dump coins from Dutch Mint at Galle, setup on Resolution of 1783 March 13th.

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination Two Stiver Alloy Copper Type Struck Diameter 26. mm Thickness  mm Weight Legal 26.70 gms Weight 24.7 gms Shape round Edge Dump DieAxis O° Mint Galle
	Schloten 1340a; Mitchiner #2193; Krause #30

Obverse : G (Galle) above VOC monogram. Value 2 S below. two rosettes of four dots on either side
Reverse : Year 1792 above value in Sinhala = I(stribi) 2 (2 Stivers)
Both sides within Rim of dotted and line circles.
VOC monogram of the Dutch East India Company has a large V superimposed on OC. This coin is 7% underweight which probably within the margin of weight error in manufacture.

KM30	S1334a	S	1783	with <.:.>-<.:.> and 2.S. Rev.1783., : between Sinhala letters, above and below <.:.>
KM30	S1334b	S	1783	with 1783: S
KM30	S1334c	S	1783	with 2.S and 1783. S
KM30	S1334d	S	1783	with 2.S and 1783 without dot S
KM30	S1334e	S	1783	without : between Sinhala letters, but . below 1783.
KM30	S1334f	R	1783	with 0-0 and 2.S. Rev. as a without <.:.> Rim of dashes
KM30	S1335a	S	1787	as No.1334d, . between Sinhala letters
KM30	S1335b	S	1787	without dots between or above the letters
KM30	S1336a	S	1788	as No. 1334d Rev. <.:.> above and below, the date 1788 (without dot), to 1. below I a dot
KM30	S1336b	S	1788	with 2oS
KM30	S1336c	S	1788	with 2S
KM30	S1336d	S	1788	similar. Rev. Sinhala letters between .-. above only <.:.>
KM30	S1336e	S	1788	with 172S etc. Old forgery? (Grogan p1. IV, 591)
KM30	S1337a	S	1789	as No. 1334a but 2 S Rev. no dots between Sinhala, to left below I a dot
KM30	S1337b	S	1789	. to right above first Sinhala character
KM30	S1337c	S	1789	. above the date only
KM30	S1338	R	1790	as No. 1334d, date with very small o
KM30	S1339	R	1791	Similar
KM30	S1340a	R	1792	as No. 1337a Rev. <.:::.> above date
KM30	S1340b	R	1792	the 2 of date smaller, Sinhala larger

Minting in Galle as was also done at Jaffna, was under the supervision of the local employees of the Company.

The Stivers were struck in accordance with the Res. of Mar.13, 1783 and in agreement with the weight of the Stivers of Colombo. The minting of Dudus anywhere but at Colombo was disapproved of by Batavia. Since, however, the Mint at Colombo was already overtaxed and it had to rush to be able to supply Jaffna and Galle with coining material before the end of the sailing season.

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Page 135 Chapter X Dutch - Coins of the Eastern Mints. Plate 144.
* The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories- 1601-1948
  C. Scholten, 1953, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman.

This VG coin was scanned at 300dpi and the images are displayed at 250dpi. It was purchased in February 1999 on ebay.