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1/4 Bazaruco
| Issuer | Portuguese Ceylon |
|---|---|
| Year | 1597-1655 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.3 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A mirrored royal monogram, identified as a stylised 'L' (for King Philip I/II/III of Portugal), displayed centrally within a beaded border. The monogram is rendered in bold, angular strokes in low relief against a plain field, typical of Portuguese colonial copper issues of the early 17th century. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Portuguese Ceylon's smallest copper unit, the bazaruco fractions were struck at Colombo (then Colombo fort, or Columbo) for everyday petty transactions in a colonial economy where indigenous coinage traditions were already well-established. The Portuguese never fully displaced local monetary custom — they accommodated it, issuing denominations calibrated to existing bazaar exchange rates rather than imposing a clean decimal system.
The nearly six-decade production window for KM#3 reflects chronic administrative inconsistency from Lisbon rather than steady output. Portuguese grip on Ceylon was contested throughout this period, with the Dutch VOC systematically dismantling their coastal positions from the 1630s onward — Colombo itself fell in 1656, one year after this type's recorded production ended.