Ceylon (1655) tanga
This specimen was lot 21355 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $1,320. The catalog description[1] noted,
"CEYLON. Dutch Ceylon - Portuguese Goa. Galle. Tanga, ND (ca. 1655). Galle Mint. NGC EF-45. Issued by council resolution 19 April 1655. Type II countermark "GALL" monogram within incuse circle. Countermark applied to the obverse of a 1643-G A Tanga from Portuguese Goa of Joao IV (KM-10). The countermark is bold and clear on the nicely preserved host displaying rich attractive mottled gray patina. The present survivor is a rather RARE example and far superior than normally encountered featuring the type II countermark upon this particular host, with the other two countermarks being variations of the VOC seal for the cities of Colombo and Jaffna. This seldom encountered
GALL stood for Galle, a city on the southwest coast of Ceylon. Given Portuguese activity on the island, coinage from fellow colonies were imported for use. Some issues, such as the present piece, were specifically struck for exporting to Ceylon while others made their way to the island through commerce. Following the Dutch East India's successful campaign to drive out the Portuguese from the island in the mid-17th century (Galle 1640, Colombo 1656 and Jaffna 1658), coinage was subsequently countermarked for the new authority. The prevailing rate for Indo-Portuguese coins then in circulation was 5, 6 and 10 Stivers and were to be countermarked with the cities monogram. Due to large amounts of counterfeits in circulation all coins were inspected by a competent goldsmith and if found to genuine were countermarked."
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to land in Ceylon and they quickly seized the coast but were unable to subdue the interior. The Dutch ousted the Portuguese in 1638 but were also unable to conquer the entire island. Fearing French control, the British occupied the Dutch holdings in 1796, which occupation was made permanent by the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. This type was countermarked by the VOC. Galle is a port on the southwest coast.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver.
Catalog reference: cf. KM-56 (for 2 Tangas); cf. Sch-1265 (for 2 Tangas).
- Alberto Gomes and Francisco Antonio Magro, Moedas Portuguesas e do Território Que Hoje é Portugal: Catálogo das Moedas Cunhadas para o Continentes e Ilhas Adjacentes, para os Territórios do Ultramar e Grão-Mestres Portugueses da Ordem de Malta, 6ª Edição, Lisbon: Associação Numismática de Portugal, 2013.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
Link to:
- Ceylon 1642 tanga
- Negapatam (1695) stuiver struck by the Dutch
- Negapatam (1695) 2 stuivers struck by the Dutch
- Coins and currency dated 1655