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Xerafim - Afonso VI Goa to Baçaim
| Issuer | Portuguese India |
|---|---|
| Year | 1662-1664 |
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| Composition | Silver |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse field is dominated by a large cross pattée dividing the space into four quadrants, each containing one digit of the mint year — reading 1, 6, 6, 2 — in a style typical of Portuguese colonial coinage of the period. The cross is rendered with squared terminals in a style consistent with Portuguese armillary or Aviz cross traditions. A circular legend surrounds the central device, enclosed within a beaded border. The strike is characteristically uneven due to the hammered technique employed at the colonial mint. |
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| Additional information |
The xerafim was the principal silver denomination of Portuguese India, but this specific issue ties directly to one of Lisbon's most desperate diplomatic moments. The 1661 Treaty of Bombay transferred that island to England as part of Catherine of Braganza's dowry to Charles II — a transaction that fundamentally reordered Portuguese territorial priorities along the Konkan coast. Minting activity shifted accordingly, with production documented across multiple Estado da India mints during Afonso VI's troubled regency, when real power was held by the Count of Castelo Melhor.
The Gomes reference suffix ".0x" indicates this entry covers a die variant group rather than a single confirmed die pairing.