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1/2 Bazaruco - João III Goa mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1522-1557 |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#12, Gomes#J3 04.0x |
| Obverse description | Obverse displays two principal devices within the field: on the left, a trefoil or cross pattée with rounded lobes rendered in low relief, and on the right, a stylized letter 'V' or quinas emblem. The design is characteristically crude and irregular, consistent with hammered copper coinage struck at the Goa mint during the reign of João III. The flan is irregular and the relief is uneven, typical of bazaruco coinage of this period. No legend is present. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Reverse features a bold plain cross, arms of equal length, extending nearly to the rim and dividing the field into four quarters, each containing a small pellet or globule. The cross is contained within a circular raised border or rim, giving the design a shield-like appearance. The execution is rough and typical of hammered base-metal colonial coinage struck at Goa under João III. No inscription or legend is present. The overall style reflects the utilitarian character of small-denomination bazaruco currency. |
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| Additional information |
João III inherited Portuguese India at a moment when the Estado da India was financially overstretched and chronically short of small change for local bazaar transactions. The bazaruco — a coin with no direct Portuguese antecedent — was essentially adopted from pre-existing indigenous copper currency systems along the Konkan coast, its name likely derived from a Konkani or Arabic commercial term. Goa's mint struck these to keep petty trade moving in a colony where silver and gold coinage was simply too valuable for everyday market use.
The Gomes reference distinguishes several die varieties within this reign, and attribution to specific subtype requires close attention to cross-form and pellet arrangement.