Goa 1652-G A 2 tangas
This specimen was lot 23278 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $780. The catalog description[1] noted, "INDIA. Portuguese India. Goa. 2 Tangas, 1652-G A. Goa Mint. Joao IV. NGC AU-58. Featuring a fairly clear standing figure of St. John the Baptist, this delightfully toned near-Mint specimen offers a great strike along with tremendous preservation that is RARELY encountered. Rather unsurprisingly, it stands as the only example of the date seen at NGC." The Portuguese were the first European power to make direct contact with India. They concentrated on trade but were not above piracy or political meddling if the opportunity arose. They conquered or dominated a good part of India in the sixteenth century but gradually had to yield to others, especially the British. By 1650, Portuguese holdings were limited to Bacaim, Chaul, Cochin, Diu, Damao and Goa. Each had a mint which struck hammered coinage until the 1860's. This very scarce type is listed in the SCWC for 1642-43 and 1649-56.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 4.4 g, silver, this specimen 4.08 g.
Catalog reference: KM-68; Gomes-17.07.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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.
- [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.
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