1/8 stuiver van Nederlands Indië,1826 1826

This small copper coin was made in 1826 under the authority of Willem I, King of the Netherlands. It represents one-eighth of a stuiver for use in Nederlands-Indië, or the Dutch East Indies, what we now call Indonesia. The coin itself speaks volumes about the social and economic order of the 19th century. It embodies the dynamics of colonialism, where a European power, the Netherlands, extended its reach across the globe to control resources and trade. By minting currency for use in the Dutch East Indies, the Netherlands was asserting its political and economic control over the region. This control was maintained through the Dutch East India Company, a powerful institution that shaped the social structures of the time. The study of such artifacts relies on a combination of numismatic research, historical documents, and economic analysis to understand the full context of its production and use. It demonstrates how seemingly simple objects can reflect complex social and institutional histories.