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1/4 Moeda - Afonso VI Pattern
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1660 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Central field displays the crowned Portuguese royal shield of arms, quartered with the traditional quinas (five escutcheons) of Portugal and the castles of Castile, surmounted by a royal crown. The shield is flanked by elaborate floral or rosette ornaments extending into the surrounding field, consistent with the decorative hammered style of mid-17th century Portuguese coinage. The legend ALPHONSVS VI DG R PORT ET appears along with the date 1660 and the denomination mark 1000, all in Latin script. |
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| Reverse description | Central design features a large cross of the Order of Christ (Cruz de Cristo), boldly rendered in the hammered technique and occupying the majority of the reverse field. The cross, with its characteristic stepped or potent form, is surrounded by a beaded inner border, with the motto IN HOC SIGNO VINCES (In this sign thou shalt conquer) arranged in the surrounding legend in Latin capitals, referencing the Constantinian tradition adopted by the Portuguese crown. |
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| Additional information |
Afonso VI was technically king but effectively a political puppet — real power had been seized by his mother, Queen Luísa de Gusmão, acting as regent since 1656. This pattern dates to a pivotal transitional moment: the regency was collapsing, Afonso's faction was maneuvering to assert direct rule, and Portugal was still fighting its war of independence against Spain following the 1640 Restoration. Patterns struck at this juncture often never reached circulation, caught between competing power centers with no stable authority to authorize a full issue.