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São Tomé de 5 Xerafins - Afonso VI Goa mint
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1670-1684 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 3.5 g |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned Portuguese royal arms — a shield bearing the five quinas (escutcheons) arranged in a cross pattern with castles on the bordure — set within a decorative architectural frame surmounted by a crown. The royal arms are rendered in the characteristic hammered style of the Goa mint, with fine detail in the shield divisions. A circular beaded border frames the design, and the Latin royal legend runs around the periphery separated by stops. |
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| Obverse lettering | +ALFONSUS VI REX | PORTUGA G-A (Translation: King of Portugal) |
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| Additional information |
Afonso VI's reign was effectively over before this coinage finished circulating. Deposed by his own brother Pedro in 1667 and confined first to the Azores then to Sintra, Afonso remained nominal king on paper — and apparently on colonial coinage — for years after losing all real power. Goa's mint continued issuing in his name through inertia of colonial administration rather than any expression of loyalty.
The xerafim itself was a unit specific to Portuguese India, derived from the local ashrafi, adapted to fit the Estado da India's parallel monetary economy that operated largely independent of Lisbon's directives.