Jim, once again, you astound me! I have been searching for the Dutch coin that supposedly bore the 4 dot pattern, but had never conclusively found it. I mentioned it just in case someone else was familiar. Now, here you present it to me! Thank you so much for this vital piece of the puzzle now filled. Your logic in this sword's history feels dead-on, even with the odd winded-symbol resembling stylized version on the same coin. So perhaps as the British were taking over, the Singhalese were incorporating their stylized lion pattern when they made this sword, but kept the original marking that pre-dated the Dutch coin by many centuries. Wow! That bit of information was exactly what I was looking for! Thanks. My one final question might be as to whether this sword was made for a Westerner in the EIC or for the local populace? That one we may never know.
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