1660 - 1691 - Dutch Ceilon
Colombo CounterMark - Abbásí of 5 Sháhís

The Colombo City VOC/C Countermark on the Abbásí of 5 Sháhís minted in Persia in 1658/59 for Shah Abbás II (1642-1666) authorized it to continue circulation after 1660 as 22.5 Stuivers in Dutch Ceilon.

SPECIFICATIONS
DenominationAbbásí
AlloySilver
TypeStruck
Diameter32. mm
Thickness_._ mm
Weight legal9.24 gms
Weight9.15 gms
ShapeRound
EdgeSmooth
DieAxis_____°
MintTiflis,Persia
CounterMarkColombo
 abbasi_5_shahi_cm_VOC-C_obverse abbasi_5_shahi_cm_VOC-C_reverse
Scholten 1284 ; KM #51
Obverse :Countermark VOC/C (Colombo) to upper right towards left.
Reverse : Abbásí of 5 Sháhí, Shah Abbás II (1052-1077AH) date 1069AH, mint: Tiflis,

By the placard of 1660 October 23rd, No silver or copper coins, were allowed in circulate after 1660 November 8th except those marked by the Company. Accordingly all foreign coins like this silver Abbásí of 5 Sháhís, were countermarked in Colombo to allow them to circulate in the Island.

On 1688 September 4th, a warning was issued instructing that all Abbásís and Mahmúdís had to have been countermarked before 1688 September 30th.
On 1691 January 16th Abbásís and Mahmúdís were taken from circulation and declared bullion.
By placard of 1702 February 8th, all Persian money was declared illegal on the Island and Tuticorin (which was then under the Ceilon administration)

Illustrated in Scholten (1284).

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Chapter VIII Portuguese - Plate xxx. Page xxx
* The Coins of the Dutch Overseas Territories- 1601-1948
  C. Scholten, 1953, Amsterdam: Jacques Schulman. page xxx-xxx
* Moedas Portuguesas 1128-1988, by Alberto Gomes. Lisbon 1987
* Collection Henry Thomas Grogan, J. Schulman, Auction 23-02-1914.
* Non-Islamic and Western Colonies since 600 AD by by Michael Mitchiner.

I thank Jan Lingen who kindly sent me the 300 dpi scans of these rare coin from his collection and are displayed at xxx dpi.