Here's a coin I recently picked up, with a fascinating history steeped in the British colonial adventurism of the 18th and 19th centuries. SARAWAK Time of James Brooke, Rajah, 1841-1868 CU Cent (28.9mm, 9.32g, 12h) Dated 1863. Heaton & Sons mint, Birmingham, UK Obverse: J. BROOKE RAJAH, bust of James Brooke left Reverse: SARAWAK above wreath containing ONE CENT in two lines; date below References: Numista 15540 Mintage: unknown The Raj of Sarawak was a kingdom in northwestern Borneo established in 1841 under the personal rule of British soldier and adventurer James Brooke, after he had assisted Brunei Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin II in suppressing a revolt in the area. Portrait of Sir James Brooke by Francis Grant, 1847 By Francis Grant - http://www.oxforddnb.com/public/themes/95/95425-content.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3383971 In return for Brooke’s help, the Sultan gave him governorship of Sarawak, which Brooke and his descendants, known as the White Rajahs, ruled for the next 105 years. Over the years, the territory of the Raj greatly expanded: from the small area around the city of Kuching originally granted to James Brooke, it grew to include most of the northwest coast of Borneo, and inland more than one hundred miles. The expansion of Raj of Sarawak c. 1920 By Unknown author - Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61228961 The White Rajahs ruled as a benevolent autocracy, suppressing piracy and headhunting, establishing Western institutions of law, order, and administration, and encouraging trade and commerce, while respecting local customs. Important economic exports included rubber, oil, and pepper. The Raj was temporarily ended by Japanese occupation during World War II, and shortly afterward, in 1946, the last White Rajah, Charles Vyner Brooke, ceded the territory to the British government as a Crown colony. Thanks for taking a look! Feel free to comment and/or post your own coins of Sarawak. * * * * * * * * * * * * Charles Brooke, nephew of James Brooke and the second White Rajah of Sarawak. Ruled 1868-1917: By Alexander Bassano - https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/V0037393.html, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33751373 Charles Vyner Brooke, son of Charles Brooke, the third and last White Rajah. Ruled 1917-1946: By Bassano Ltd Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68637426
Nice coins! Someday I'd like to get a silver Sarawak coin. I tried bidding on one awhile back but was defeated.
I am curious, by the way, how many of you recognized in the thread title the reference to the Rudyard Kipling story? Kipling mentions James Brooke a few times in the story, though Brooke definitely fared better than Dravot and Carnehan!
I did not get that, but of coarse the Jungle Book is what I know him for. He surely is an interesting fellow. Very nicely done write -up and photos. As per usual. Thanks, You give enough to lead the reader into other interesting information.
Thanks Alurid! The Man Who Would Be King was a short story, about two former British soldiers who decided to try to carve a kingdom out for themselves in the hinterlands of Afghanistan, using just their wits, military training and know-how, and 20 modern Martini-Henry rifles. Things went well, then poorly for them. It's a worthwhile read so I won't spoil it for you!
It's also an entertaining movie starring Sean Connery and Michael Caine. I should read the original Kipling story. A favorite local craft beer of mine is called "White Rajah" but I never made the connection until reading your post.
Neat writeup as usual, @The Meat man. Indeed. Possibly in my top ten favorite films. There’s even a scene in the movie purportedly showing a coin of Alexander the Great that they find in the treasure. That closeup really sparked my imagination as a kid who was a freshly-minted coin collector when I saw the movie in the late ‘70s. I did not know at the time that the film “coin” was merely an oversized movie prop, as @willieboyd2 pointed out in his thread. I have of course in the years since acquired some real coins of Alexander the Great, originally inspired by that great adventure movie I watched as a lad.
A fascinating and informative article about "The White Rajah of Sarawak". I have had this coin since the 1960's when I visited coin dealers and coin shows looking through their foreign coin boxes. Sarawak one cent 1882 Bronze, 29 mm, 9.44 gm Struck at Heaton and Sons, Birmingham
@willieboyd2 - I noticed that some of your pictures in the 15-year-old thread I linked to about the ATG prop “coin” in that movie have gone dead. If you’d like to fix them, just click the “report” link in that post and I can reopen your editing privileges for it.
Thank you. I fixed the post at the "Man Who Would Be King" film post. https://www.cointalk.com/threads/movie-star-coin-in-the-man-who-would-be-king-is-tourist-fake.175783
It's pretty neat! I was hoping to assemble a type set of this as well as Straits Settlements. The prices for them are getting quite absurd especially the silver Sarawak. It's quite understandable due to the low mintage figures.
Yeah I've bid on a couple silver Sarawak coins, but never won. They're definitely tougher than the coppers!
