The Barbican
coins.
The Barbican coins are among the most common coins from Christian 4.´s time in Tranquebar. The adverse has C4 and
the reverse has a stylized Three-turreted gate.
Three coins are made with the same stamp,
but with different weight:
Km 48 ½ kas 2 g, KM 47,1 1 kas 3,8 g Km 47,2 2 kas 7,7 g
KM 48 ½ kas weight about 2 g. The most common C4
coin from Tranquebar
KM 47,1
1 kas weighing about 3,8 g. More rare.
KM 47,2
2 kas weighing 7,83 g. Unique
Another type of The Barbican coins differs from the first 3 Barbican coins by a small circle on both sides. On the
adverse behind the 4
in C4. On the reverse in the left tower. KM 46,1. It is also
known as the heavy Barbican coin, the 2 kas or the
double kas. It has an average weight of 7,7 g.
Now a new version of this coin has appeared. It has been made by
the same stamps as KM 46.1, but the weight is only 3,7
g, so it is a 1 kas. In future catalogs it will be KM
46.2. The coin is unique
.
Km 46.2
new 1 kas weighing 3,7
g KM 46.1 2 kas
weighing 7,7 g
At the reverse it is difficult to see the
circle in the left tower of these two coins.
Low in the right tower is a stamp crack in both coins.
There might be another heavier Barbican gate coin. The Indian
numismatic G. Arumugam has mentioned that he once had a very heavy Barbican
coin weighing about 40 g. It could be attempt to make a 10 kas coin, or it
might be a weight for a scale to weigh a certain number of coins.
It is difficult to say when the Barbican coins have
been minted. They have no dates or ships names and there are no coins
with overstrikes.The weight of the coins might help
us. The average weight of all The Barbican coins 1/2 kas, 1 kas and 2 kas are 3,79 g for one kas.
If we look at other of C4´s coins the weight is falling from the
start to the end of C4.´s ruling period and the weight is like this:
Early coins up to 1640 about 4 g.
Coins from
1644 and 1645 in average 3,72 g.
Coins from
1646 and 1648 in average 3,41 g.
According to weight the Barbican coins
fit in well with other kas from 1644 and 1645.
How was the situation in Tranquebar about 1644 and 1645
Tranquebar has for years had a bad and unlucky
governor Mr Pessart. He has made debt everywhere. He
had been in debtors prison in Masulipatam.
In Tranquebar everything was in decline and the moral
was low. Rumors about the situation has reached Denmark and Willum Leyel was send by the ship
Christianshafn to examine the situation and perhaps dismiss Pessart.
In September 1643 Christianshafn reached
Tranquebar. Leyel demanded account from Pessart. Pessart lured Leyel to a
journey along the coast of India to find the money. Here Pessart manage to get
away from Leyel. He hurried back to Tranquebar, rented more money, equipped a
ship, took everything of value with him from Tranquebar and sailed towards
Japan.
When Leyel reached back to Tranquebar 1. June 1644 he found
Dansborg in a sad state. Pessart had removed all he could remove, canons,
weapon and all supply.
Leyel started the reconstruction of Dansborg. I 1644 and 1645 he
had a new bridge made, repaired the gate, windows and doors replaced and many
more things. The years 1644 and 1645 were busy years with many activities in
Tranquebar and much money was needed.
The weight of the Barbican coins at 3.79 g for one kas is similar to
the weight of other coins from 1644 and 1645. Governor Willum Leyels thorough
restauration of Dansborg at the same time indicate that the coins could be from
1644 to 1645.