1660 - 1691 - Dutch Ceilon
Colombo CounterMark - Abbásí of 4 Sháhís

SPECIFICATIONS Denomination Abbásí Alloy Silver Type Struck Diameter 22/23 mm Thickness _._ mm Weight legal 7.39 gms Weight 7.35 gms Shape Round Edge Smooth DieAxis _____° Mint Shamakha,Persia CounterMark Colombo
	Scholten unlisted ; KM #49

Obverse :Countermark VOC/C (Colombo) to upper right, tilted left-down
Reverse : AH year 1065, mint: Shamakha.

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
* 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.