1632 - 1635 - Portuguese Goa
Gold St Thome

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination St. Thome Metal Gold.858 Alloy Ag%Cu 0.92 Type Struck Diameter 21.1 mm Thickness 1.0 mm Weight legal 3.50 gms Weight 3.46 gms Shape Round Edge Smooth DieAxis 180° Mint Goa
	Codrington-CCM #76 ; Gomes F ; F.Vas 3.01 - 3.04 India Goa KM #62

Obverse : Crowned Coat of arms of Portugal between G to left and A to right (Goa) within a plain line circle. Along the periphery within a a circle of dots PHILIPVS III·REX·PORTVG
Reverse : Saint Thomas standing facing left with carpenter's square dividing date 16 3? two concentric plain line circles. Along the periphery within a a circle of dots S T H O M E ·

Codrington (VIII-11:p.94, IV-III) lists it among gold coins minted in Goa found in Ceylon. A St Thome was equal to 3 Xerafins of 300 reis + 12reis or 912 reis. A Xerafin was 5 Tanga of 60 reis. In comparison a Spanish Piece of Eight was 600 reis.

Codringto states that When the new S. Thome was issued in 1631, it was provided that private persons were at liberty to have S. Thomes of the old fineness and design struck on their account at the mint. Of these, must be the extreamly rare issue of 1632 of which a specimen found at Matara is in the Colombo Museum. ... A similer coin struckin 1634 is in Mr Bell's cabinet.

I could not find any listed British Museum online, the Gampola Larin Hoard or the Grogan 1914 Auction catalog. Years 1632 to 1634 are illustrated in Dinheiro Luso-Indiano by J Ferraro Vaz p.145

Text from
* Ceylon Coins and Currency By H. W. Codrington. Colombo 1924
  Chapter VIII Portuguese - Page 104
* Indo Portuguese Money, by J Ferraro Vaz, Braga, Portugal 1980 p.145
* Moedas Portuguesas 1128-1988, by Alberto Gomes. Lisbon 1987 p.14?.

The VG grade coin was scanned at 600 dpi and images are displayed at 300 dpi. It was purchased in 2017 Sepember from a dealer in Colombo. It is claimed to have been found in Kelani river bed near Gampaha, while sand excavation.