Quarter Cent 1863, Coin from Sarawak - detailed information

The quarter cent coin was the smallest denomination of the Sarawak dollar. It was only issued in three years - 1863, 1870 and 1896.

James Brooke, whose head appears on the obverse of this coin, became Rajah of Sarawak in 1842 after receiving the land and title from the Sultan of Brunei. In 1863, through his British agents Buchanan, Hamilton & Co. he arranged for copper coins with the denominations of 1/4, 1/2 and 1 Cent to be struck in Birmingham. This was the only issue in his name. The Spanish dollar was the principal silver coin of the region at the time and the copper coins were fractions of it.

The artist was Joseph Moore of Allan and Moore, Great Britain.

The Encyclopaedia of the Coins of Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, 1400-1967 lists a 1863 pattern with size of 19 mm in diameter and mass of 2.4 grammes, whereas regular coins were 18 mm and 2.33 gr (36 grains, in the measurement units of the time).

Coins issued in 1863 circulated for 79 years until the Japanese occupation forces replaced them with their own invasion currency in 1942. After the war, Sarawak did not regain independence and eventually became one of the states forming the Federation of Malaysia.