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4 Xerafins São Tomé - José I Damão mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1767 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the Portuguese royal arms, comprising a shield quartered with castles and quinas (five bezants arranged in a cross), surmounted by a royal crown topped with a cross. The shield is set within a beaded inner circle, itself enclosed by an outer beaded border. The overall design is characteristic of the hammered coinage produced for Portuguese India under King José I, rendered in a bold, compact style suited to the small gold flan. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A bold cross pattée occupies the central field, its four arms extending nearly to the beaded inner circle. The regnal initial IO (for Iosephus, i.e. King José I) appears in the upper canton and the denomination numeral 4 in the right canton, while the date 17-67 is split across the lower and left cantons respectively. The design is enclosed within a beaded border, consistent with the hammered technique used at the Damão mint. |
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| Additional information |
Damão (Daman) operated as one of Portuguese India's secondary mints, and gold coinage struck there under José I is considerably scarcer than equivalent Goa output — the local goldsmithing infrastructure was less developed and production runs were correspondingly smaller. The xerafim, a denomination rooted in the Arabic *ashrafi*, had been the backbone of Portuguese Indian gold accounting since the sixteenth century, surviving long after comparable denominations had disappeared elsewhere in the empire.
Gomes 61.02 distinguishes this Damão striking from the better-documented Goa issues by mint-specific die characteristics.