12 Xerafins São Tomé - José I Goa mint

The xerafim was a unit of account deeply embedded in the fiscal machinery of Portuguese India, but gold multiples like this 12-xerafim piece were struck primarily for large commercial transactions and tribute payments rather than everyday exchange. José I's reign coincided with the ascendancy of the Marquis of Pombal, whose sweeping administrative reforms reached even the Estado da India — the Goa mint operated under tightening metropolitan oversight during precisely these years.

The 1755 Lisbon earthquake had devastated crown finances, and colonial mints were pressed harder to generate revenue. Goa's output in this period reflects that pressure.