PUBLIC-67D7CB: A post medieval silver Portuguese Half-Tostao (50 Reis) of Philip II (Philip III of Spain as King of Portugal, 1598-1621) or Phillip III (Philip IV of Spain as king of Portugal, 1621-40), minted in Lisbon and dating to 1598-1640.

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COIN

Unique ID: PUBLIC-67D7CB

Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow status: Awaiting validation

A post medieval silver Portuguese Half-Tostao (50 Reis) of Philip II (Philip III of Spain as King of Portugal, AD1598-1621) or Phillip III (Philip IV of Spain as king of Portugal, AD1621-40), minted in Lisbon and dating to AD1598-1640. Obverse: Five shields, each containing five pellets, arranged in a cross (quincunx) on a plain field within a beaded circle. Reverse: Voided cross on a plain field within a beaded circle. This coin is in reasonable condition with most detail remaining. The obverse and reverse legends are considerably worn however, and there is a small piece missing from the flan. Similar examples are recorded on the database at Record ID: DENO-791002, IOW-7CE5D3 and IOW-5DE1C2.

Diameter: 21.8mm, Weight: 3.9g

Reference: Krause. C.L and Mishler. C. Standard Catalogue of World Coins, 17th Century, 3rd Edition. KM# 16, p1163.

Notes:

The five shields on the obverse of this coin also feature on the coat of arms of Portugal where they are popularly referred to as the Five Quinas or simply the Quinas (quinas being the Portuguese term for quincunx; the term used to describe the layout of the shields - like the number five on a die). The five pellets in each shield represent coins or bezants (bezant is a medieval term for a gold coin) symbolising the right of the monarch to issue currency. More information may be found at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Portugal

Note from Standard Catalogue of World Coins. 1601-1700, Krause. C.L and Mishler. C. The coins of Philip II and Philip III are so similar it is difficult to provide an absolute attribution. Portuguese authorities tend to rely on legend variations, but these are often lacking in certainty. The name 'Phillipvs' is attributed to both rulers, although it is likely that 'Philipvs' is Philip III only.

Subsequent actions

Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder

Chronology

Broad period: POST MEDIEVAL
Period from: POST MEDIEVAL
Period to: POST MEDIEVAL
Date from: Circa AD 1598
Date to: Circa AD 1640

Dimensions and weight

Quantity: 1
Weight: 3.9 g
Diameter: 21.8 mm

Discovery dates

Date(s) of discovery: Saturday 17th December 2016

Personal details

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Materials and construction

Primary material: Silver
Manufacture method: Struck or hammered
Completeness: Complete

Coin data (numismatics)

Denomination: Meio tostão
Ruler/issuer: Phillip III of Portugal (IV of Spain)
Type: silver coin the post-medieval Kings of Portugal
Obverse description: Five shields, each containing five pellets, arranged in a cross (quincunx) on a plain field within a beaded circle.
Obverse inscription: [P]HILIPVS D G [REX P]ORT
Reverse description: Voided cross on a plain field within a beaded circle.
Reverse inscription: [IN] H[OC SIGN]O VIN[C] (in this sign you will conquer)
Die axis measurement: 7 o'clock
Degree of wear: Worn: fine

Coin references

No coin references available.

Spatial metadata

Region: London (European Region)
County or Unitary authority: Greater London Authority (Greater London Authority)
District: Tower Hamlets (London Borough)
Parish or ward: St. Katharine's and Wapping (London Borough Ward)

Spatial coordinates

4 Figure: TQ3480
Four figure Latitude: 51.50305749
Four figure longitude: -0.07075664
1:25K map: TQ3480
1:10K map: TQ38SW
Grid reference source: Generated from computer mapping software
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 1 metre square.

Discovery metadata

Method of discovery: Other chance find
Discovery circumstances: Recovered whilst searching on the Thames foreshore
General landuse: Open fresh water
Specific landuse: Running water

References cited

Author	Publication Year	Title	Publication Place	Publisher	Pages	Reference
Krause, C.L. and Mishler, C.	1979	Standard Catalog of World Coins	Iola	Krause Publications	17th Century 3rd Ed. KM#16, p1163	KM# 16

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Timeline of associated dates

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Audit data

Recording Institution: PUBLIC
Created: 5 years ago
Updated: 5 years ago

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