Here's another of my all timne favourites. A copper `Tanga' dated 1871 from Portuguese India. it's a large slug of copper, 5mm thick and 36 mm diameter. VERY difficult to find one of these. This is the one and only one i've ever seen in the flesh.
Ian prior to 1871,Portuguese India didn't exist as a coin-issuing entity as such.Coins were issued at Damao,Diu,& Goa.The Goan coins turn up from time to time,but the other 2 Portuguese Indian settlements' coins never turn up. Aidan.
the 1/4 tanga from 1871 set: http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/8229/img060xn8.png http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/3013/img061bs4.png the whole as 6 coins: is 3 reis, 5 reis, 10 reis, 15 reis (1/4 tanga), 30 reis (half tanga) and 60 reis (tanga) Portuguese settlements in India minted since 1510 in Goa, Malaca, Cochin, Baçaim, Damão, Chaul and Dio. however these particular coins were minted in Bombay, in the British side of India.
Marreta,have you seen the gold coins denominated in Xerafins? The Portuguese Indian coinage series is a very difficult one to collect.The last coin of Portuguese India was the bronze 10 Centavos dated 1961,which was the year that it was taken over & incorporated into India. I didn't know that the 1871 coinage was struck in British India at the Bombay Mint. Aidan.
Portuguese India hammered coinage series is for "hard core" collectors, not for me. I'll stick to late XIX century's to 1961 modern coinage. Xerafim is a denomination for 300 Goan réis. There are halfs and multiples of Xerafins in silver and gold. here is a pic of a 4 xerafins gold coin, auctioned in Lisbon with a starting price of 2000€: http://img264.imageshack.us/img264/1086/4231if2.jpg About Bombay coins for Portuguese India, besides the 1871 series there are also: in silver: Rupee 1882, 1885 1/2 Rupee 1882, 1885 1/4 Rupee 1885 in copper: 1/4 tanga 1884,1886,1888 1/8 tanga 1884, 1886 all coins dated 1885 and 1888 are extremely rare
Why did you miss out all the coins of this series dated 1881 (?) I've no idea where the Portuguese India coinage of the 20th century was minted, but many of these are as scarce as hens teeth. Strangely enough the one I found the most difficult to find was the 1959 30 centavos. Catalogues suggest that this should have been relatively easy. I only got it a few months back and i'd been looking for it for over ten years. Ian
Ian,the 1881 1/2 Rupia turns up quite frequently,but the other silver fractionals in that series are not easy to find.The Escudos coinage contains some very strange denominations - 3 & 6 Escudos,in addition to the 30 Centavos. Aidan.
If I remember correctly, the 1/8th rupia is a one year only type coin dated 1881. I've got all the 1881 coinage and most of the rest too, including all of the decimal stuff. Just haven't got round to imaging it.
I didn't forgot the 1881 series. it just wasn't minted in Bombay 1881 series of 1 Rupee, 1/2,1/4,1/8 rupee in silver and 1/4, 1/8 tanga were minted in Calcutta. About the Republic coinage (after 1910), A Portuguese law from 1958 made a monetary reform that established the "escudo" in all Portuguese overseas territories (except Macao). In India the conversion was made at 6 escudos per rupee. To maintain the same types in circulation several (very) unusual face values appeared: 30c,60c,3$ and 6$ sounds nonsense but this represented the rupee and it's fractions.
I thought it might have been something fairly obvious like that....I just wasn't 100% sure. Seemed to be too big a chunk of coins to `forget' I'm still on the look out for most of the 1871 coinage. Unsurprisingly, they rarely appear on the market here in Scotland. Actually, `never appear' is more like it.
East Timor. Marreta,East Timor also had a 30 Centavos,& a 3 Escudos as well,but the East Timorese 3 Escudos is a silver coin.It also originally had the Patacas & Avos currency system,just like in Macao as well. Aidan.
So am I, that set is not easy to complete . But you are well ahead, the "trowing weapon" bulky, enormous tanga is the hardest of them all Portuguese Timor, Now known as East-Timor was affected by the same law that converted everything into escudos. In this case the conversion was made at 1 Timorese Pataca = 6.45 escudos. I have no idea why Timor "earned" silver for for the 3$ and 6$ coins and India only got nickel. Until this reform Timor was under the "authority" of Macao and shared the same monetary system 1 Pataca = 100 avos.
It looks like there are quite a few very convincing counterfeits of these Xerafirm available in market. So be very careful when dealing for these (specially if they are offered for a price rage within your limits and by a collector/dealer who is not familiar with this series) Recently, CNG's latest auction Triton X had quite a few of these Xerafirm which were withdrawn at the last moment. Regards, Ballabh Garg
Here are the Portuguese Malacca coins I've got in my collection. They are made of Tin and as a result, very difficult to find in good condition. These coins are also considered Portuguese Indian coins by a lot of scholars. In 1511, the Portuguese Viceroy of India (Albuquerque) conquered Malacca and the Portuguese remained in power at Malacca upto 1641 when the English forces defeated them. During the Portuguese reign, a mint was established at Malacca..
Here are some modern Indo-Portuguese copper coins with Carlos I portrait on obverse. 1/12 Tanga 1/8 Tanga 1/4 Tanga 1/2 Tanga dated 1903 1/2 Tanga dated 1905 Regards, Ballabh Garg
And some One Rupee coins Dated 1881 with Ludovicus I portrait Dated 1882 with Ludovicus I portrait Dated 1903 with Carlos I Dated 1912 and dated 1935 Regards, Ballabh Garg
Ballabh,here is a list of Portuguese Kings; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Portuguese_monarchs . Aidan.
