Catalog
1/4 Bazaruco
| Issuer | Portuguese Colonial Administration (Ceylon) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1597-1655 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| 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 |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central field features the Portuguese royal arms: a shield bearing five escutcheons arranged in a quincunx pattern, each containing five roundels (quinas), enclosed within a pointed shield of distinctly medieval heraldic form. The shield is surmounted by a crown rendered in low relief. The entire device is set within a beaded or rope-like border, consistent with the crude hammered fabric typical of colonial Portuguese copper coinage of Ceylon. The design is boldly struck though somewhat irregular in outline due to the hand-hammering technique. |
|---|---|
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
The bazaruco was a Portuguese colonial unit derived from the Indian term bazarucos, used across Goa, Cochin, and Ceylon to denominate the lowest-value copper currency circulating among local populations. Ceylon's Portuguese administration issued these pieces during a period of sustained military pressure from the Dutch VOC, which began systematically seizing Portuguese Indian Ocean ports from the 1630s onward. Colombo itself fell to the Dutch in 1656 — one year after this type's issue window closes.