Many of us have used the term ‘Thuttu Deka’ or ‘Tuppence’ to refer to something of little or no value. I have never seen a Thuttu Deka and probably many of our batch may not have. So here is a photo.
A Stiver according to the dictionary is “a small coin formerly used in the Netherlands equal to one-twentieth of a guilder. The term is also used to refer to any coin of low value or a very small or insignificant amount”.
Till 1825 the currency in Ceylon was Rix dollars and stivers. A Rix dollar is a unit of currency introduced into former European colonies such as Ceylon. After that, it became the British Pound. In 1836 the Indian rupee became our currency. The accuracy of these facts will need to be verified.
CJ
News, Views and More from Batch'64, Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, SriLanka 
Thanks CJ.A very interesting origin to the the common Sinhala phrase. Does “Thuttu” have a special meaning in Sinhala or is it a colloquialism for a Stiver.I understand there was also a “One Stiver” coin at the same time, so why Thuttu Deka.?
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Dear CJ
What an interesting explanation to the origin of the word “thuttu decka” and thank you fur the picture of the coin too. Im these times of lockdown it is very interesting to enhance our knowledge with these informative articles.
Praxy
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Thanks CJ
Thuttu originated from Dutch meaning “smallest change (money)- copper coin”
There is a Tamil slang :- Thuttuku rendu pakku – meaning, you can buy 2 Arica nuts for one Thuttu.
The above is my one cent (Thuttu) worth !!!
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