5 Bazarucos - José I Goa mint

The bazaruco was a copper fractional coin used across Portuguese India for centuries, but this 1760 issue in nickel brass marks a deliberate material shift driven by chronic metal shortages in Goa — the Estado da India's supply lines from Lisbon were unreliable, and the mint frequently had to source or substitute alloys locally. José I's reign coincided with the height of Pombal's reformist administration, which pushed for rationalization of colonial minting and tighter control over fractional currency that had long been prone to counterfeiting and debasement.