Keuëh was a limestone or tin coin struck for market traffic in Atjèh, with no fixed value. Each Sultan fixed at his accession how many keuëh would equal one dollar, and clandestine minting occurred at pasar’s (markets). Inscribed “bandar Atjèh dar as-salam,” the keuëh was only current in Groot Atjèh, not in Pidië.
Minting and value
The keuëh was struck using stone molds or matrices called toeangan keuëh / teunoeang keuëh — two matching blocks with a channel for the lead to flow into the stamps. Each Sultan fixed at his accession how many keuëh would equal one dollar. Sometimes 1,200 to a dollar, by the war 4,000 to a dollar. Clandestine minting occurred at pasar’s.
Inscription and design
The keuëh was inscribed “bandar Atjèh dar as-salam” (“Harbor of Atjèh, abode of peace”) on the obverse. The reverse bore three figures that the Atjèhnese took to be peudeuëng (“sables,” i.e. swords), though they were actually shaped like lying “8” marks.
Limited circulation
The keuëh was only current in Groot Atjèh, not in Pidië — where pèng Poer (Straits copper cents with effigy of Queen Victoria and Edward VII) circulated instead. The keuëh was not always current from one oelèëbalangschap to another, reflecting the fragmented sovereignty of the Atjèhnese state.
War-time use
The keuëh was melted down for bullets during the Atjèh-oorlog, contributing to its disappearance from circulation. By Kreemer’s time, the keuëh had been largely replaced by Dutch and Straits coinage.
The pèng Poer replacement
In Pidië, the keuëh was replaced by pèng Poer (Straits copper cents), of which 25 = 1 soekee (silver Straits coin worth ¼ dollar). In modern usage, sesoekee came to mean the Dutch half-guilder (½ gulden).
See Also
Source
Atjèh. Algemeen samenvattend overzicht van land en volk van Atjèh en onderhoorigheden, door J. Kreemer, Archivaris van het Atjèh Instituut. Tweede Deel. Leiden: N.V. Boekhandel en Drukkerij voorheen E.J. Brill, 1923.
Identifier: Delpher MMKB02B:000001798; PPN 395084288. Koninklijke Bibliotheek.