VOC monogram, ship between stars above (privy mark of the mintmaster Pieter Buysken), date below (1770) / Crowned arms of West Friesland. 17.5mm, 1.10 grams. Krause KM #137.
Rare denomination, issued only in 1769 and 1770. Issued in the Netherlands for circulation in the Dutch East Indies (modern Indonesia).
In 1596, a four-ship expedition led by Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutch contact with Java. By the end of the 18th century the Dutch had extended their influence over the sultanates of the interior (see Dutch East India Company in Indonesia). Internal conflict prevented the Javanese from forming effective alliances against the Dutch. Remnants of the Mataram survived as the Surakarta (Solo) and Yogyakarta principalities. Javanese kings claimed to rule with divine authority and the Dutch helped them to preserve remnants of a Javanese aristocracy by confirming them as regents or district officials within the colonial administration.