Description
India, Portuguese Malacca, Manuel I (1495-1521 AD), tin Bastardo, second issue, 1512-15 AD, struck during Governor Afonso de Albuquerque (1509-1515 AD), S M P R DE PV SOR DIE MAA, armillary sphere. Rev. CRVX XPI NOSTRE SPES VNICA, cross within beaded circle, 45.46g (S.09; Gom. 21.02).
Very Fine, patina across surfaces.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to establish a presence in India. The second Governor of the East, Afonso de Albuquerque, defeated the combined fleets of the Indian Ocean traders in 1509, and with the capture of Goa and Malacca the following year introduced Portugal as the ruler of the eastern trade routes. The coinages he authorized in Goa in 1510 and Malacca in 1511 were the first issues for the new European colonies. These coins were only known through documentary evidence until the beginning of the 20th century, when several examples appeared during dredging of the Malacca river. These specimens belong to the earliest minting ordered by Alfonso de Albuquerque which have a diameter of 39-44mm and a weight of 46-56 grams. They were later reduced to 35mm and 35 grams.
