Maria I ruled jointly with her uncle-husband Pedro III from 1777 until his death in 1786, which is precisely why this coin's type is so short-lived — the dual-authority issue ceased the moment Pedro died, and Maria continued as sole monarch. Goa's mint at this period was operating under considerable administrative strain, supplying coinage for a Portuguese colonial presence increasingly squeezed by Maratha territorial pressure and British commercial dominance along the Malabar coast.
The Goa mint's silver output in this period is known for inconsistent alloy quality, a product of reliance on locally sourced and traded metal rather than Lisbon-controlled bullion shipments.
Maria I ruled jointly with her uncle-husband Pedro III from 1777 until his death in 1786, which is precisely why this coin's type is so short-lived — the dual-authority issue ceased the moment Pedro died, and Maria continued as sole monarch. Goa's mint at this period was operating under considerable administrative strain, supplying coinage for a Portuguese colonial presence increasingly squeezed by Maratha territorial pressure and British commercial dominance along the Malabar coast.
The Goa mint's silver output in this period is known for inconsistent alloy quality, a product of reliance on locally sourced and traded metal rather than Lisbon-controlled bullion shipments.