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1 Escudo - Carolus V
| Issuer | Spanish Monarchy |
|---|---|
| Year | 1534 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central field occupied by the imperial crowned coat of arms of Charles V, displaying the quartered arms of Castile, León, Aragon, and Granada, flanked on either side by the outstretched wings of the imperial double-headed eagle. The shield is surmounted by an imperial crown. The surrounding circular legend reads CAROLVS V HINPERATOR, struck in Latin capitals around the periphery of the flan. The design is executed in the characteristic bold relief of early sixteenth-century Spanish hammered gold coinage. |
|---|---|
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| Edge | Plain |
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| Additional information |
The 1 escudo was introduced by Charles V through a pragmatic of 1537 — though some transitional strikes are attributed to 1534 — as Spain unified its gold coinage around a new standard designed to facilitate trade across an empire that now included Castile, Aragon, Naples, the Low Countries, and the rapidly expanding territories of the Americas. The escudo replaced the older excelente, deliberately pegged at a ratio compatible with the French écu and Italian ducato to ease commercial exchange across Habsburg-controlled Europe.
Early escudos of this type were struck at multiple Castilian mints, each using its own assayer's mark — a detail that matters considerably for precise attribution of any given piece.