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1/2 Xerafim - Pedro II Damão mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1684-1706 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| 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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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Gomes P2 09.01 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A stylized cross pattée occupies the center of the reverse field, with fleur-de-lis or similar ornamental terminals at the extremities of the cross arms, giving the design a highly decorative character. Four quadrants are formed by the cross, each containing simple punched or struck elements consistent with hammered colonial coinage. The field shows natural irregularity typical of hand-struck pieces, with a rope or beaded border visible along the coin's edge. The overall style reflects the primitive but distinctive engraving tradition of the Damão mint under King Pedro II of Portugal. |
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| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Damão (Daman) operated as a secondary mint to Goa throughout the Estado da India's later decades, striking silver in quantities that fluctuated sharply with the port's fortunes against Mughal pressure from the Gujarat interior. Pedro II's reign saw the half xerafim continue a denomination structure inherited from the 16th century, when the xerafim itself was calibrated to compete with locally circulating Mughal rupee fractions in coastal trade settlements.
The Gomes reference P2 09.01 places this among the earlier-documented Damão types, though the 22-year window of the issue means dies were almost certainly replaced multiple times across that span.