Coin trade in Tranquebar.
Tellerlunds map of Tranquebar from 1733
In Tellerlunds map you can see that Tranquebar has been bigger. The sea has eroded the
coast, especially north of Dansborg; it is to the left on
the map. The black line on the map
indicated where the coast is today. The coastal erosion has caused the sea to move 100 meters closer to Dansborg. In the northern part of town and beyond the old fishing village,
the sea has moved more than 200 m into the country.
Before the tsunami in 2004 one could see the coastline as a slope about one meter
high all the way from Dansborg and north past the fishing village. It is seen
in the photo of Arumugam and a fisherwoman on their way to the fishing village
in 1979.
Arumugam and a woman on their
way to the fishing village. Arumugan and the author in 1979.
Here the sea waves against the
coastline in stormy weather eroded 0.5 m to 1 m into land every year. In the slope, you could see layers from different times with different
waste. There was also black layers
from fire, so you could see that parts of the town had burned. It was here where the sea had
washed parts of the coastline down that the fisher families could find coins
and china. In years of heavy storms there could be many coins. In other quieter years, the number of coins was less. After the tsunami I 2004 the shore has been protected by large stone blocks, so the coast in the future should not move. Therefore, in the future coins
will not be washed out of the slope of the
coast.
Coin dealers in Tranquebar.
Just over a hundred years ago,
there was no great numismatic interest for the coins in Tranquebar.
Lead and copper coins were sold for re-melting. Lead coins were also used for sinkers on
the fishing net.
Silver coins and the very rare
gold coins had some interest among missionaries. Thus a missionary should have
brought a C7 gold pagoda to the museum in Leipzig.
The first coin dealer, who is known in Denmark, is S.C.Abel. In The Royal. Coin and Medal Collection
there is a letter from him dated 18/12 1919. The Royal. Coin and Medals buys from 1922 to 1937 five lots from Abel with an
increasing number of unique lead kas. The museum is very happy with the very
rare coins. The unique lead kas later prove to be fake. 2)
Abel also sells unique and
fake (engraved) lead coins to the Government Museum in Madras and Axel Wahlsted
in Stockholm .
The unique fake lead coins are
still in the three collections. I have no information about them ever been in
the market, so they have not created ravage in the trade of Tranquebar lead
coins. On the other hand, they were
included in catalogs in increasing numbers. First at H.H. Schou in 1926, then at
Chr. Funck-Rasmussen in 1948, so with John Gray in 1974 and finally at Uno Barner Jensen in 1978.
The next coin dealer is the
serious numismatist, S. Arumugam ,
who has sold many of the Tranquebar coins found in Denmark. 3) He sold coins to Olav Bonefeld and me in Denmark , to
Brian Hanon in the United States and J.F.Gray in Canada .
I visited Arumugam in 1979 in Trichy, where he lived, and I was with him in Tranquebar. Here I got a good insight into
how the trade in coins took place. We went to the fishing village and were
immediately surrounded by women and children. A few chairs were set up for us, and then women and children began
to bring coins. Arumugam assessed the coins and set the price. For me it was low, but it must
be higher than the price they could get from the merchants in Tranquebar. Arumugam had a client relationship with its
suppliers. He always had a big bundle of 1 rupee banknotes in order to give to all his connections. They regarded themselves as
his people and expected help from him. He told me that when he could not afford to help, he had to stay
away.
Arumugam examining and buying
coins
Arumugam had a great knowledge
about Indian coins. He was reliable and enganging
to trade with. He taught me a lot about Tranquebar coins and other
Indian coins
His great interest was coins
from the ancient South Indian dynasties Chera, Chola and Pandya. Here he had a large collection, which contained several
unpublished coins. It was his intension once to publish articles about these coins. His too early death in 1984
prevented this.
Arumugam was followed
by his son A. Manoharan. Manoharam has sold some coins to
Uno Barner Jensen in
Denmark
My next coin connection in
Tranquebar was for a number of years the dwarf M. Murugesan . I met him during a visit to Tranquebar around 1990. He had many
coins and many potsherd of Chinese porcelain. He was reliable, but a little difficult to trade with, as his
English was not very good. He sent me sometime coins stored in hollowed books.
Murugesan looking for coins and china. Murugesans
china.
My last coin connection in
Tranquebar is R. Sankar. He is a valuable assistant for
the Association Tranquebar and looks after the Flora Cottage guesthouse. He also let out rooms. He is in charge of the
Maritime Museum. His main job is his work for Best Seller.
I visited Sankar in January
2013. He had many coins, but they have
been examined by many, so they were not very rare or good, and they were rather expensive. He was well aware that his prices were at least as high as in Denmark, and therefore he did not sell
much. But he will save his coins. He believe that coastal protection
has stopped the sea eating into
shore. Therefore, there will be no
more coins from the shore in the future. So Sankar saves his coins and
expects prices to rise. He is probably right.
He nevertheless sold a single
coin to me, a Fr. 4. 4 kas. which was just found in the
bastion by the beach. A rare coin, but it was not cheap either.
He was with me on a trip to
find and photograph what may be left of former Danish gardens. Somewhere we met an old woman,
whom Sankar knew. She brought him a little new worthless European coin. Sankar bought it, and I asked
him why. He explained that she was one
of his vendors, and she was expecting to get something from him. It reminded me of the client
relationship that Arumugam had to the fisher families.
Coastal Security North of Dansborg.
Sankar in Missions garden in Ohrugamangalam
Coastal protection has meant
that there is no longer a danger of flooding in case of a tsunami. Coastal
protection also mean that the sea will no longer interfere with what remains of
Tranquebar. The coast will not be eroded in the
future. Therefore, in the future coins will not be washed
out of the slope of the coast.
.
The Bungalow on the Beach.
Previously it was difficult to
find accommodation in Tranquebar. Now there are several options. The best and most expensive is The Bungalow on the Beach. It is a Neemrana
hotel, in the former English governor's residence. Neemrana hotels are a chain of hotels situated in large old historic
houses with an atmosphere from the glory of the houses past
There are now also more and
cheaper accommodations. They are mentioned on the website of the
Association Tranquebar. (www.trankebar.net.)