Indio (coin)
Military Order of Christ and inscription IИ HOC SIGИO VIИCES[1] |
The indio was a silver coin minted by the Portuguese government as a currency to support trade with India.[2] There are only two recovered coins of this mintage, making it very rare.[1]
History
Following the
Design
According to Damião de Góis, the weight of the coin was ordered to equal the mass of the coins used by Italy, 3 grams.[1]
The reverse side bears markings from the
Examples
There are only two recovered coins of this type.[2]
Coin 1
The first coin has been held in the National Historical Museum of Brazil,[1] which houses the largest numismatic collection of Latin America.
Coin 2
The second coin was recovered from the excavation of the Esmeralda. This recovery of this example, forged in 1499,[2] was announced in 2016 following excavation of the 1503 shipwreck off the coast of Oman, on Al-Hallaniyah island in the Khuriya Muriya island chain. This example was compared to the first using CT scan and authenticated by João Pedro Vieira, Curator of Coins and Paper Money with the Bank of Portugal.[1]
External links
- Official website
- Youtube video of recovery and CT scan
References
- ^ .
- ^ a b c "Sunken treasure from a 500-year-old shipwreck". CBS News. 16 March 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.