1811 - 1816 - Ceylon Government
Four Stiver - 1/12 Rix-dollar

Four Stiver (Fanam) copper dump coin struck in Ceylon Government Mint.

SPECIFICATIONS
Denomination1/12 RixDollar
AlloyCopper
TypeCast ?
Diameter29. mm
Thickness  mm
Weight Legal36.27 gms
Weight24.645 gms
ShapeRound
EdgeDump
Die Axis
MintFogery
1811_f12rxd_cu-dump_obverse 1811_f12rxd_cu-dump_reverse
Pridmore #38; Mitchiner #220_; Krause #65

Obverse : Within a beaded circle between two plain circles an elephant facing left. The year 1811 below
Reverse : Within a beaded circle between two plain circle :CEYLON.GOVERNMENT The fraction of value to Rix Dollar 12 at center.

This coin is 32% under weight which probably makes it at best a contemporary forgery. Maybe the damage was caused by deliberate defacing of a contemporary counterfeit using a hammer and chisel.

For more details see VG+ grade 1812 dump.

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Page 156 Chapter XI British - Coins struck in Ceylon. Plate 157.

The G+ grade fogery was scanned at 300 dpi and the images are displayed at 250 dpi. It was purchased from a dealer in UK who had got it from the son of a collector who obtained in Lanka during WWII. He claimed a key-like counter mark on the obverse center of the dump. However the damage couldn't account for it being 32% under legal weight.