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60 Réis - José I Countermark 'MR' over 60 Réis (Tanga), Portuguese India
| Issuer | Mozambique |
|---|---|
| Year | 1765 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Countermarked face of a Portuguese India Tanga host coin struck under King José I. Prominently applied in the upper field is a rectangular countermark bearing the crowned monogram 'MR' (Moçambique Réis) in raised relief, authorized for circulation in Mozambique. Below the countermark, partial elements of the underlying Tanga design remain visible, including a faint curved device consistent with the original Portuguese India coinage. The host coin's surfaces are heavily worn and corroded, with the irregular flan typical of cast copper issues of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | MR |
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| Additional information |
The 'MR' countermark applied to Portuguese Indian tangas circulating in Mozambique reflects a chronic shortage of small copper coinage on the East African coast throughout the mid-eighteenth century. Rather than strike new coin, colonial administrators restamped whatever copper was available — in this case, José I-era tangas pulled from Indian Ocean trade circulation and officially revalued for Mozambican use. The practice was improvised policy, not systematic reform.
The Gomes absence is telling. Many of these countermarked pieces were applied at the local level with inconsistent documentation, leaving significant gaps in the standard Portuguese colonial reference literature.