178Z - Dutch - Ceilon - VOC
Dove on mango tree - One Duit

VOC Tin Bazarucos of Doit from Dutch Mint of Colombo issued first in 178Z. under Resolution of 1785 Oct 20 to overcome the shortage of small change. The graphic arms of Colombo. The dove in latin is columbus..

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination One Doit Alloy Tin Type Struck Diameter 19.8 mm Thickness 8.0 mm Weight 16.72 gms Shape Globular Edge Dump DieAxis O° Mint Colombo
	Codringto PL132; Schloten 1310a; Mitchiner #2191; Krause #24.1

Obverse : VOC monogram of the Company surmounted by C, below the year 178Z Plain thin circle surrounding
Reverse : Dove on mango tree, trunk dividing value 1 D Plain thin circle surrounding.

KM24.1	S1310a	17 8Z	1 DT
KM24.1	S1310b	17 8Z.	1 DT
KM24.1	S1310c	17.8Z	1 DT
KM24.1	S1310d	17*8Z	1 DT
KM24.2	S1311	1785	1 DT	smaller and lighter
KM24.2	S1312	1786	1 DT	similar

One of the measures taken to combat the prevailing shortage of small money was the striking of tin coins in a mixture of 2/3 tin and 1/3 lead (Res: of 1785 Oct 20). Since there is no official records mentioning a tin coinage in 1782 Codrington maintains that the figure is a 7 and is adopted by Mitchiner. The last digit of the year written as a Z has been read by A. Shulman as a 2, particularly since this coin is larger and heavier (15-16 grams) than those of (1785-1786) which is (9-11 grams). Sholten says that seems to him unlikely since then the date should have been written 1Z8Z.

All coins of this type are listed as very rare (RR) in Scholten. The Dove of the Mango tree armorial ensign of Colombo makes it clearly one of the classic coins from that Dutch era.

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Page 133 Chapter X Dutch - Coins of the Eastern Mints. Plate 132.
* The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories- 1601-1948
  C. Scholten, 1953, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman.

The VF coin was scanned at 300dpi and the images are displayed at 300dpi.
The globular shape of coin makes it hard to get a good scan.
It was illustrated lot#953 in Baldwin's Auction #27 of Ton Eijkelenkamp collection of Coins of the Dutch S.E.Asian Territories, held in London on 2001 October 8th. It was purchased in London in 2001 November from remaining unsold lots.