(sold for $104.0)

1720, Ceylon (Netherlands  East India Company/VOC). Copper 2 Stuiver Coin. Rare!

Mint Period: 1660-1720 Denomination: 2 Stuiver Reference: KM-20 ($300 in VF!) Issuer: United East India Company (VOC) Condition: A few digs (old test-marks) and a couple of interesting chopmarks (one in the obvers appears as a conch, onother in reverse seems to be an asian character), light deposits and scratches, otherwise V+ for this early and seldomly offered type! Material: Copper Weight: 26.35gm  Diameter: 35mm

Obverse: Value ("II . St" = 2 Stuiver) within wreath. Dot in the middle!

Reverse: Value ("II St" = 2 Stuiver) within wreath.

Dutch Ceylon (Sinhala: ලන්දේසි ලංකාව Landesi Lankava) was a governorate established in present-day Sri Lanka by the Dutch East India Company. It existed from 1640 until 1796. In the early 17th century, Sri Lanka was partly ruled by the Portuguese and Sri Lankan kingdoms, who were constantly battling each other. Although the Portuguese were not winning the war, their rule was rather burdensome to the people of those areas controlled by them. While the Dutch were engaged in a long war of independence from Spanish rule, the Sinhalese king (the king of Kandy) invited the Dutch to help defeat the Portuguese. The Dutch interest in Ceylon was to have a united battle front against the Iberians at that time.

The Dutch East India Company (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in Dutch, literally "United East Indian Company") was a trading   company, which was established in 1602, when the States-General of the   Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial   activities in Asia. It was the first multinational corporation in the   world and the first company to issue stock. It was also arguably the   world's first megacorporation, possessing quasi-governmental powers,   including the ability to wage war, negotiate treaties, coin money, and   establish colonies.

The Dutch East India Company remained an important   trading concern for almost two centuries, paying an 18% annual dividend   for almost 200 years. In its declining years in the late 18th century it   was referred to as Vergaan Onder Corruptie which translates as   'Perished By Corruption'. The VOC became bankrupt and was formally   dissolved in 1800, its possessions and the debt being taken over by the   government of the Dutch Batavian Republic. The VOC's territories became   the Dutch East Indies and were expanded over the course of the 19th   century to include the whole of the Indonesian archipelago, and in the   20th century would form Indonesia.