1598 - 1621 - Portuguese Ceilão
Silver - Tanga

The silver Tanga with Coat of arms of Portugal and Tanga Asia TA monogram struck in Colombo, fort São Lourenço for circulation in Ceilão, undated with no mint initials, during the reign of D. Filippe II (1598-1621).

SPECIFICATIONS
DenominationTanga
AlloySilver
TypeStruck
Diameter15. mm
Thickness_._ mm
Weight mean2.75 gms
Weight2.74 gms
ShapeRound
EdgeSmooth
DieAxis_____°
MintColombo
 F2_21.02_obverse F2_21.02_reverse
Codrington PL 111 ; Gomes F2:21.02 ; KM #7
Obverse : Crowned Coat of arms of Portugal within line-dotted-line circles
Reverse : TA (Tanga Asia) monogram within line-dotted-line circles.

Codrington (VIII-22:a,p.100) lists it among undated silver coins of the Malacca type with crowned Coat of arms and the TA monogram.
Gomes gives for this issue a weight range of 2.7-2.8 grams. For the undated Ceylon Tangas Codrington (VIII-23:p.102) gives a range of weight from 2.08 to 2.60 grams with a mean of 2.29 grams stating that the standard was probably as high as 2.60 grams.

This small issue of undated Tangas bearing TA monogram and were succeeded by undated gridiron Tangas followed by dated issues commencing 1631.

In Grogan section on Ceylon the Tanga is illustrated coin (1316) -- 16 mm and 2.80 grams(?), and attributed to D. Filippe II (1598-1621) with No Date (1600-1612). Listed as extremely rare.

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.