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1/2 Vintém – Afonso VI
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1656-1662 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | 14 mm |
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| Obverse description | Central field features the Portuguese royal quinas arranged in a cross pattern, displaying five escutcheons each charged with five roundels (bezants) in saltire, characteristic of the Portuguese royal arms. The shields are rendered in the bold, somewhat crude style typical of hammered coinage of the period. A beaded inner circle separates the central device from the surrounding Latin legend. The irregular flan and characteristic die-work reflect the hand-struck hammered production technique of the Lisbon mint under Afonso VI. |
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| Reverse description | Central field bears a plain cross pattée dividing the field into four quarters, enclosed within a beaded inner border. The arms of the cross extend nearly to the inner circle, with the intersecting bars forming a bold, well-defined device typical of Portuguese hammered silver of this reign. A continuous Latin legend runs along the outer periphery of the irregularly shaped flan. The overall strike and flan preparation are consistent with mid-seventeenth-century hammered mint production. |
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| Additional information |
Afonso VI nominally ruled Portugal from 1656, but real authority during these years rested with his mother, Luísa de Gusmão, who served as regent until 1662. The country remained locked in the Restoration War against Spain — a grinding conflict that had begun with the 1640 revolt — and the Crown's finances were under serious strain. Small silver fractions like this one were struck in quantity for daily commerce precisely because larger denominations were being hoarded or melted.
The three Gomes references reflect minor die variants across the production run rather than distinct emission years.