Keping, Coin Type from Sarawak

Keping, Coin Type from Sarawak (issued 1842 - 1842)

Coin Type	Keping

This is a one year type. The 1842 Keping is a very rare coin and is usually found in "very good" to "fine" condition. Many modern counterfeits exist, both in copper and in brass.

The coin was authorised by the Rajah, James Brooke, in 1842. According to Remick's "Catalogue of British Commonwealth Coins 1649 - 1971", these coins were minted at "a private mint in Birmingham" which was not the Heaton and Sons Mint.

Some were made in copper and some in brass. Most coins were copper.

In older sources, the name of the denomination may be spelled as "kapang" or "kepang".

Obverse
The obverse bears the image of a badger (or "brock") which was the crest of the Brooke Arms, turned to left; the initials J · B and the date SEPT 24 1841 (when James Brook was granted the title Rajah of Sarawak, though the official declaration to that effect only came on 18 August 1842).

Obverse Inscription	J · B SEPT 24 1841

Reverse
The reverse was struck from an old and worn out die bearing the denomination "Satu Keping" in Malay (one keping) and the date 1247AH (=1831), both in Arabic script. This die had been used earlier in the striking of Singapore merchant tokens.

Reverse Inscription

Edge	Plain	Edge Inscription	None

Notes

References to additional information:

[Book] Saran, Singh. The Encyclopaedia of the Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, 1400-1967. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysia Numismatic Society, 1986. pp 351-372.
[Book] Kavanagh, Kevin F. 1969. The Coins of Malaysia, pp 65-73
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. British Commonwealth Coins, pp 489-492

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Coin Type: Keping - (1) Coins

Coin Name	Reverse	Obverse	In my collection(s)
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Keping: Details

Country	Sarawak
Currency	Sarawak Dollar
From	1842
To	1842
Face Value	1 (x Keping)
Current	No (demonetised 1863)
Material	Copper or Bronze
Designer
Technology	Milled (machine-made)
Shape	Round
Size	21.5000 mm
Mass	1.7500 g

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Keping: Photos

Image	Details
	Bronze kepang, SE Asia, 1841 Copyright: American Numismatic Society / CC BY NC Source
	Bronze kepang, SE Asia, 1841 Copyright: American Numismatic Society / CC BY NC Source

Keping, Coin Type from Sarawak - detailed information