Sugar, parrots and playing cards: money in colonial Suriname

What do sugar, parrots and playing cards have to do with money? In the 17th and 18th centuries, Suriname was a Dutch colony, and people paid with “money” made from sugar, copper tokens with parrots on them, and even playing cards. Only a handful of these cards still exist. Several examples from DNB’s National Numismatic Collection were loaned to the Central Bank of Suriname’s Numismatic Museum in 2024. In this article, we take a closer look at these remarkable forms of currency.

A colony without enough coins

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Suriname constantly faced a shortage of coins. The Society of Suriname, the colonial ruling body, never developed a proper monetary system. From their perspective, there was little need: most labour on plantations was done by enslaved people, who were forced to work without pay. Money was required only for specific transactions and salaries, not enough to justify setting up a full currency system. When coins were needed, people often relied on Spanish coins circulating widely in neighbouring colonies.

Sweet but unstable: sugar as money

As demand for cash grew in the late 1600s, the colony had to get creative. One solution was to use a local commodity – sugar – as money. In 1669, the authorities officially recognised sugar as legal tender, fixing its value at one pound of sugar to two stuivers, or one-tenth of a guilder.

Using sugar as currency was unusual but not unprecedented. In colonial Brazil and Barbados, sugar also served as a medium of exchange. Its value came from its importance as an export product. However, sugar prices fluctuated due to weather and harvests, making it an unstable currency. A fixed exchange rate backed by the authorities was therefore essential.

Coins with parrots: a visual solution to everyday payments

A few years later, Suriname’s governor began minting coins locally: the so‑called parrot pennies. These copper coins showed a parrot on a branch with one, two or four leaves. The number of leaves indicated the value, representing 1, 2 or 4 pounds of sugar. This simple visual system meant that even people who could not read or calculate could still use the coins.

DNB collection, inventory numbers DNB‑33937 (duit); DNB‑33936 (2 duit); BM‑16579 (four duit) Duit, Sociëteit van Suriname West‑Indische Compagnie, minted in Enkhuizen (Netherlands), 1679, copper.

DNB collection, inventory number HNM-08580 Duit, Society of Suriname West-Indische Compagnie, Enkhuizen (Netherlands), 1764, copper.

Coins disappear again

Sugar and parrot tokens only provided a temporary fix. By the late 18th century, Suriname once again struggled with a lack of coins. The Netherlands briefly produced new coins for the colony (see image), but it is unclear whether they ever arrived. In practice, nearly all coins vanished from circulation, either hoarded or transported elsewhere through trade.

A creative answer: turning cards into cash

The authorities turned to a new material: playing cards. Why cards? Their thick, sturdy paper held up well in Suriname’s tropical climate and it was cheaper than producing metal coins. Suriname was not the only place to try this. Quebeq – French colonial Canada – also used playing cards as money between 1685 and 1759.

Regulated money that people trusted

This unusual form of money actually worked well. The key reason was strict oversight. Each card note was backed by a bill of exchange, essentially a guarantee that the card could be exchanged for real money in the Netherlands. If someone needed to make a payment abroad, they could hand in the card and receive such a bill. This kept the amount of card money in circulation under control and prevented inflation. The colourful cards also had another advantage: their design made them easy to recognise, even for people who could not read.

How "bigi kaarta” circulated safely

Larger notes could be cut into halves or quarters to create smaller denominations (see image). The large 10‑guilder cards, known as 10 “bigi kaarta”, were worth the same as a Dutch rijksdaalder or a Spanish silver dollar. But could this card money be trusted? In theory, anyone with a pack of cards could try to pass them off as currency. To prevent fraud, each card was printed with a serial number and signed by two authorised officials.

DNB collection, inventory number DNB-04278 2½ guilders, Government of Suriname 1807, paper, seal of the Council of Suriname.

DNB collection, inventory number DNB-04290 Ten guilders, Government of Suriname 25 January 1771, paper, seal of the West-Indische Compagnie.

When trust broke down: the fall of card money

The popularity of card money eventually led to problems. As more paper notes appeared, people began hoarding silver coins because precious metals retain their value, unlike paper. Small change again became scarce. Some merchants responded by issuing their own card money, unofficial and not backed by anything. Worse still, the Suriname administration itself started issuing card money without the backing of bills of exchange to fill government coffers. This caused inflation in the early 19th century. Combined with widespread counterfeiting, the system collapsed. Card money was permanently banned in the 1820s.

Lessons from Suriname’s inventive money system

For all its limitations, card money generally worked well for everyday use. While not highly secure, features such as serial numbers and signatures provided some protection. This historical episode shows how scarcity can spark inventive monetary solutions. It also underlines a timeless truth: money – whatever form it takes – only functions when people trust its value and check its authenticity.