Photo credits: Stefie
This is my first time to National Museum which is located at Kuala Lumpur. There are a lots of interesting history facts that we actually learned back in school being displayed inside of the museum. I always find tiny things interesting somehow. These Tin Animal Currency which is used to measure general goods and as standard weights for weighing standard. The tin money earliest form was produced from solid blocks of tin metal of a standard size and weight. Some believed it's function was to dispel evil spirits. Some believed to used as weighing goods It is an early money to be first used by the royal courts of Malay Peninsula in the 15th century. These tin animal evolves in time into a form of different animals and insects such as cockerel, crocodiles, elephants, grasshoppers and tortoises were made.
At first glance, it already make me to look at it long enough. I started to question myself, "What is the meaning of each of these tin animal currency made in the 15th century?" How they started these tin animal currency things back then? I searched the web and these are the results,
1. The particular shapes is believed to have started out as a simple
shell-backed ingot but, influenced by the Chinese miners.
2. The tortoise means long life and happiness.
3. According to the chinese, Cockerel (Rooster) one of the 12
animals of their lunar calendar, it indicates vitality and energy, how it crowing provides morning call for the days work; hardships
of working in the tin mine.
4. The most common shape was the crocodile, tortoises,
elephants, fish, crickets, beetles and others.
5. Tin ingot (Chinese silver sycees) can be found from another
state like Malacca, Kedah, Perlis, Pahang, Terengganu,
Kelantan, Johor.
For further reading, there is this book called "Tin "Hat" and Animal Money" by William Shaw and Mohd Kassim Haji Ali which is published in 1970 which have more information on these tin
animal currency.
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