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1 Patacão - João III Goa mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1521-1557 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 23 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Standing frontal figure of Saint Thomas (São Tomé), the patron saint of the Goa mint, depicted in long robes with arms slightly extended, occupying the central field in a hieratic, stylized manner typical of Portuguese colonial coinage. The mint control letters S and T (for Saint Tomé) appear flanking the figure to the left and right respectively. A beaded border frames the entire design. The rendering is bold and linear, characteristic of hammered silver issues produced at the Goa mint during the reign of João III. |
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| Additional information |
The patacão was Portugal's attempt to produce a large silver coin competitive with the heavy Islamic and Hindu issues already circulating on the Malabar Coast. João III inherited Goa from his father Manuel I in 1521 along with the apparatus of Estado da India — the trading-post empire that depended on hard silver to purchase pepper, textiles, and saltpeter from merchants who had little interest in Portuguese credit. The Goa mint operated under chronic metal supply pressures, relying largely on bullion seized from Arab traders or extracted through forced exchange at disadvantageous rates.
Striking consistency across this type is poor, a known characteristic of the Goa facility rather than individual piece variation.