Silver Standard in South East Asia

Singapore: Fraser and Neave, 1903. Original red canvas boards; [xi], 147pp. Good. Front hinge separated, damp stains on front board, boards rubbed, bottom fore-edge corner pages slightly stained red, minor foxing on endpapers. August Huttenbach (originally Hüttenbach), born into a well-known German Jewish merchant family, immigrated to Malaysia in 1872. He founded Huttenbach and Co in 1875, which was the oldest European business on the east coast of Malaysia. The company was an extremely successful wholesaler and importer of European manufactured goods. The German Heritage Trail in Penang, Malaysia is named in Huttenbach’s memory. Huttenbach led the campaign for sound currency in the Strait of Malacca (between Malaysia and Indonesia). In this book, published in Singapore, he discusses various unified currency options for the region including the Rupee, British pounds, US Dollar, and a gold or silver standard. Trade among and between Malaysia, Singapore, China, and Indonesia are also addressed. A fascinating look at gold and silver as currency in South East Asia from the perspective of a European immigrant. At the time of cataloguing, no other copies for sale.