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Perak Tin Animal Money, The Rooster - (1)
The picture left above shows a tin ingot in the shape of a standing Rooster, with a young hen. Freestanding on an integral, base the rooster with hen has a rough surface from either being buried, or on the sea bed, for many years. The other two are also standing Roosters. They are typical of those from Perak and recognised universally as Perak Animal Money. The value of each would have been a fraction of a tin cent, based on the amount of tin by weight which could be exchanged for one Spanish Silver dollar.
Referring to the above picture, roosters have always been a common sight in the villages of both Malaya and China and were used as fighting cocks. They were therefore well recognised and readily available for sacrifice if required. Additionally, to the Chinese, as well as being one of the 12 animals of their lunar calendar, the rooster indicates vitality and energy, due to how its crowing provides an early-morning wake-up call to start the days work; perfect attributes for the hardships of working in the tin mine.
To see more Roosters in our collection, click here.
To read about the history of Perak Tin Animal Money, click here.