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600 Réis Countermark 'BIG CROWN' over 1 Rupee - Shah Alam II, India - British
| Issuer | Azores |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 600 Réis |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Arabic |
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| Edge | Reeded |
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| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Portugal's Atlantic island territories suffered a chronic coin shortage throughout the Napoleonic period, and the solution was systematic countermarking of whatever foreign silver happened to be in circulation. The "Big Crown" punch — applied in the Azores to validate Indian rupees for local use — represents one of the more geographically improbable monetary pairings in Iberian colonial history: a coin struck for the Mughal-successor court of Shah Alam II in Bengal finding its second life valued at 600 réis on an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic.
Shah Alam II's rupees were struck by the East India Company under his nominal authority after Plassey and Buxar had rendered him effectively a British client. The countermark authorization dates to around 1800.