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2 Tangas Counterstamped
| Issuer | Ceylon (1597-1972) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1642 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the Portuguese Royal Coat of Arms rendered in the hammered style, surrounded by a beaded border. The arms are depicted in low relief characteristic of colonial Portuguese coinage of the mid-seventeenth century. The initials 'G A' appear in the field, likely denoting the issuing authority or mint official. The overall design is typical of Portuguese colonial silver coinage circulated in Ceylon during the period of Portuguese administration. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central field features a stylized crowned armillary sphere or similar Portuguese colonial emblem, rendered in low hammered relief within a beaded border. The counterstamp applied to the coin bears the date 1642 along with the initials 'G LL', identifying the authorizing official responsible for the counterstamping. The legends 'TA DS 1642 G LL' are distributed around the central device, consistent with Portuguese colonial counterstamping practice used in Ceylon to validate or revalue circulating coinage. |
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| Additional information |
Portuguese India produced the original tanga coinage, and examples circulating in Ceylon were periodically counterstamped by Dutch VOC administrators after they seized the island's coastal territories from Portugal beginning in 1638. The counterstamp authenticated foreign silver for local trade use — a pragmatic colonial solution to chronic small-denomination shortages rather than any deliberate monetary reform.
KM#55 is specifically attributed to the early Dutch occupation period, when VOC control of Ceylon remained contested and administratively improvised.