São Tomé de 8 Xerafins - João Prince Goa mint

The xerafim was a unit of account deeply embedded in Goa's hybrid monetary system, where Portuguese colonial administration ran parallel to local Konkani commercial practice for centuries. By 1819, the Estado da India was a shadow of its former self — the spice trade long surrendered to the Dutch and English, the territory reduced to a coastal enclave increasingly dependent on Lisbon for administrative direction. Gold issues of this denomination from João's reign as Prince Regent are scarce survivors; most colonial gold of this period circulated hard and was frequently melted when exchange rates shifted.