1 Masa, Indonesia, 800-1300 AD

1 Masa coin of Java, from the Sailendra period, which circulated from 800-1300 AD. This type of coins - with a sandalwood flower on one side, and the letter 'ma' in Devnagari on the other, first originated in Java during the Sailendra dynasty - Buddhist rulers of Java. The design was subsequently copied by the Srivijaya Empire, which was based in Sumatra but ruled over the entire archipelago. 

While Indonesia had a wide ranging currency system in the ancient era, the archipelago broke into numerous small sultanates in the Islamic era - some confined to a few villages or a single small island. None of these had the resources to create a uniform, high purity currency - the currency system of the region devolved and Chinese/Indian coins were used instead. At the time Portuguese first arrived in Indonesia, the archipelago did not have a currency of its own. 

Size: 10 mm (approx)
Weight: 1.8-2.4 gm (approx)
This is a rare coin. Read more about it here

Please note, these are hand struck coins and over 1,000 years old - so will have irregular shape, and signs of wear. Price is for one coin. 

NO RETURNS OR EXCHANGE.