Danish West Indies, Coaling Tokens, Det Østasiatiske Kompagni, rectangular zinc bracteate One Cent with bevelled corners, øk over value, 50 x 46mm (Sømod 6446; Lyall –). Oxidised surface, fine to very fine, of the highest rarity; the only recorded specimen
£1,000-1,500

Provenance: Bt K.V. Eckardt [from J.D. King].

Det Østasiatiske Kompagni (referred to as Ø.K. or D.Ø.K.) was founded in Copenhagen in 1897. In 1902 the company worked with the Danish government to establish a steamship route between Copenhagen and St Thomas and subsequently a coaling depot was set up in St Thomas for the three company-owned ships. The token dates to c. 1904 and would have been in use until 1912 (information courtesy of Jørgen Sømod)