Goa 1766 4 xerafins Fr-1475
This specimen was lot 72564 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted, "INDIA. Portuguese India. Goa. 4 Xerafins, 1766. Goa Mint. Jose I. PCGS Genuine--Tooled, EF Details. An enchanting colonial gold minor with excellent detail. Tooling is evident on the cross side, but all of its features including the full date and denomination remain crisp and clear. Highly enticing and better preserved than typically seen." 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 1766, Portuguese holdings were limited to Diu, Damao and Goa. Each had a mint which struck hammered coinage until the 1860's. This rare type is listed for 1765-71 and 1774.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.63 g, gold.
Catalog reference: Fr-1475; KM-148; Gomes-60.02.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the David Sterling Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
Link to: