1660 - 1691 - Dutch Ceilon
Colombo: VOC-C CounterMark
Abbásí of 4 Sháhís

The Colombo City VOC/C Countermark on the Abbásí of 4 Sháhís minted in Persia in 1654/55 for Shah Abbás II (1642-1666) authorized it to continue circulation after 1660 as 18 Stuivers in Dutch Ceilon.

DenominationAbbásí
AlloySilver
TypeStruck
Diameter23.4 mm
Thickness2.2 mm
Weight legal7.39 gms
Weight7.38 gms
DieAxis80°
Mint Tiflis,Georgia
CounterMarkColombo
 Abbasi_4_shahi_cm.VOC-C_obverse Abbasi_4_shahi_cm.VOC-C_reverse
Scholten unlisted ; KM #49
Obverse : Text in Persian. Counter-mark VOC/C (Colombo) to bottom, tilted down, slightly to right. The C is crude has not struck properly
Reverse : Text in Persian. Date at bottom left is AH year 1064 (1653 CE), with dot representing zero. mint: Tiflis. Now known at Tbilisi in Georgia

colombo_cm_voc-c colombo_ld_voc-c
The countermark although with a poorly struck C compares favourable both in size (0.23inches or 5.8mm) and detail with similarly countermarked coins in Colombo Museum Collection that I have scanned.

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 4 Sháhís, were countermarked at Colombo.

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)

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
* Collection Henry Thomas Grogan, J. Schulman, Auction 23-02-1914.

The uncleaned XF grade coin with VF countermark was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 250 dpi. It was obtained in 2011 December from a Lankan Dealer as part of a small hoard of coins claimed to have been found in Ampara District consequent to Bombing during the 26 year civil War which ended in 2009.

I thank Jan Lingen who kindly identified the host coin. Also see from his collection a C-VOC countermarked abbasi_4shahi coin of AH year 1065, from Shamakha mint in Persia.