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Denomination: Dutch VOC Copper Duit Date: 1600-1800 AD

Description:

This coin is often referred to as the "First New York Penny." They were produced by the Dutch East India Company for use in the spice trade. At the peak of this companies' history they employed 36,000 people facilitating trade from Asia and the East. The coins were minted in the Netherlands and used by the company for trade in the Dutch colonies and around the world. They are still found in Dutch VOC shipwreck sites and former VOC colonies.

The Dutch East India Company, often referred to as the VOC, the acronym of the company's name in Dutch (Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie), was established by the States-General of the Netherlands in 1602. It is considered the first multinational corporation and was initiated to fulfill colonial and trade activities in Asia. Not only was the VOC company the first entity to issue stock, it also had the power to wage war, negotiate treaties, establish colonies and mint coins. The VOC coin were most widely circulated in the Netherlands and in their South Asian colonies but also became well established in New Amsterdam, later New York City, such that they were used even after Dutch authority passed.