Sarawak 18851 cent Ã¢â‚¬Å“White Rajah of SarawakÃ¢â‚¬Â - AussieBid.com.au

HISTORIC 1885 SARAWAK COIN

with Portrait of British Raj Charles Brooke

The former British Protectorate of Sarawak spans the northern end of the Island of Borneo with the Phillipines to the Northeast and Singapore and Indonesia to the West and Southwest. It is one of the most exotically beautiful regions in the Pacific and the erstwhile home of headhunters and cannibals!

In the early 1800's, the area was nearly completely wild. Although claimed by the Sultan of Brunei, he exerted little control over Sarawak, which was a haven for pirates. Enter the British Officer James Brooke, formerly stationed in Bengal. He declared himself "Rajah" and took control of Sarawak, steadily forging it into a functional society with the help of the British Crown.

He was succeeded by his son, Charles Brooke, who further expanded the territory and built international trade, which eventually led to Sarawak becoming a British Protectorate.

This fascinating Sarawak copper coin bears the bust of none other than Charles Brooke, along with his title "Rajah". The reverse has the date 1885 encircled by laurel leaves surmounted by "Sarawak".

The coin is the size of a U.S. Half Dollar and remains in VF-XF condition with XF detail. Exceptional quality for the price!

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SARAWAK

BRIEF HISTORY

The state of Sarawak originally formed part of the hereditary domains of the Sultan of Brunei, though his control over it was more apparent than real. The Dayak tribes and pirates that inhabited the territory were fiercely independent, frequently rejecting the Sultan's authority. At least, so things stood until the arrival of a young English adventurer from India. James Brooke, a former army officer from Bengal, arrived on the scene in the late 1830's. Entering the Sultan of Brunei's service, he set about pacifying the wild territory known as Sarawak.

Succeeding in his task, he first secured appointment as the Sultan's Governor, but succeeded in establishing his independence in 18^th August 1842. He secured the title of Rajah of Sarawak and had this recognised by Great Britain. He conquered a vast slice of the North Eastern coast of Borneo, so large that it was to dwarf the domains of his erstwhile suzerain. He left his vast domain to his nephew, younger son of one of his surviving sister.

Charles Brooke, the second Rajah of Sarawak, greatly extended and pacified his inheritance. He expanded trade and commerce, encouraged immigration and accepted a British Protectorate over Sarawak, 14^th June 1888. Charles was succeeded in 1917 by his third, but eldest surviving son, Charles Vyner. His reign lasted 39 years, but his interests lay outside Sarawak. The Japanese invaded and conquered the Raj on Christmas day 1941, forced him into exile in Australia. He formally ceded his rights to the British Crown on 1^st July 1946, in return for a large pension, and retired to England. Administered as a Crown Colony until 1963, Sarawak, together with the former British North Borneo and the Federation of Malaya, formed Malaysia on 16^th September 1963.

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