Hugh IV ruled Cyprus during one of the island's most prosperous periods, when Lusignan commercial networks stretched across the eastern Mediterranean and Famagusta ranked among the busiest trading ports in the known world. The half gros circulated heavily in that mercantile environment, passing through the hands of Genoese and Venetian merchants who often preferred Cypriot silver to the debased issues coming out of mainland Europe at the time.
The "no field marks" classification follows Metcalf's typology distinguishing early issues before the introduction of annulets and other workshop indicators — a distinction with real chronological implications within Hugh's thirty-five year reign.
Hugh IV ruled Cyprus during one of the island's most prosperous periods, when Lusignan commercial networks stretched across the eastern Mediterranean and Famagusta ranked among the busiest trading ports in the known world. The half gros circulated heavily in that mercantile environment, passing through the hands of Genoese and Venetian merchants who often preferred Cypriot silver to the debased issues coming out of mainland Europe at the time.
The "no field marks" classification follows Metcalf's typology distinguishing early issues before the introduction of annulets and other workshop indicators — a distinction with real chronological implications within Hugh's thirty-five year reign.