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1/2 Bazaruco - Sebastião I Goa mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1557-1578 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Bazaruco (1⁄720) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field bears the royal initial 'S' for King Sebastião I, rendered in a bold cursive style within a beaded inner circle. A small dot (º) appears to the left of the initial and an asterisk (*) to the right, serving as decorative or mint marks. The entire device is enclosed within a prominent outer border of large round beads. The coin's irregular flan, typical of hammered copper issues from the Goa mint, gives the piece its characteristically rough outline. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | º-* *-º |
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| Additional information |
Sebastião I inherited the Portuguese crown at three years old in 1557, and the machinery of empire — including the Goa mint — continued operating largely under regency governance until he came of age. The bazaruco was the lowest denomination in Portuguese India's copper coinage, used almost exclusively in local bazaar transactions rather than in trade settled at the factory level. Goa's mint operated with considerable autonomy from Lisbon, and die workmanship on these small coppers varied sharply from one production run to the next.
Sebastião died at Alcácer Quibir in 1578 with no heir, triggering the dynastic crisis that ultimately delivered Portugal to Philip II of Spain.