British East Indies ½ Stuiver, 1811 – 1815

½ Stuiver from British East Indies. Issued from 1811 to 1815. Struck in Tin. Measures 0 mm and weighs 0.99 g.

Obverse

The obverse of the coin shows most characters in their respective location, yet the letters are also backwards and mirrored. At the top center, the "B" is reversed. At the left center, the "1/2" fraction is instead mirrored so that it shows "2/1". The fraction bar between the numbers is missing and the "2" is mirrored. In the center is the iconic bale mark of the VEIC, the heart encompassing the VEIC letters. The heart is crude and leans to the side. Within the heart, the "E" on the left side is mirrored and the bars of the letter are weak. Also within the heart, the "I" on the right side is missing the bottom bar while the top bar is missing the right side of the bar. The left side of the top bar curves down and almost looks like a "9" or a backwards "P". The bottom heart character, "C", is missing the serif at the top. At the right center, the "S" is missing the bars at either end and is stretched long and snake-like. The coin is missing the "t." portion to the right.

Reverse

This prominent reverse shows a nicely mirrored crude imitation of an 1813 ½ Stuiver. The "2" at the bottom is actually a reversed crude Z.