Mysterious Javanese Coins Found in London Mud
from
Yahoo/Reuters
bq. A bundle of 17th century coins from Java, Indonesia, has been found buried in mud on the banks of London's River Thames.
bq. The 90 copper alloy coins are pierced with hexagonal holes and inscribed in Arabic with the words "Pangeran Ratou ing Bantan" (Lord King at Bantam)," according to experts at the London museum where they will be displayed.
bq. Bantam, also spelled Bantan, was an important trading post in the East Indies in an age when the British and Dutch were competing for monopoly of the valuable spice trade.
bq. These are the first Javanese coins ever found in Britain, the museum said in a statement.
bq. "How they got to London remains a mystery," it added. "Even in the 17th century they would have had no value in London.
bq. "One possibility is that a merchant dropped them overboard from an East Indiaman (ship) moored in the Thames when he found they were worthless.
bq. "Another is that they were being imported as curios for one of the many collectors keen to acquire interesting objects from the farthest corners of the earth."
Posted by DaveH at December 11, 2003 4:42 PM