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1 Real "Groat" - Philip IV T countermarked
| Issuer | Municipality of Tortosa (Province of Tarragona) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1643 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Countermarked, Milled |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A long cross extending to the inner beaded circle divides the reverse into four quarters, with an annulet in the first and fourth angles and three bezants arranged in a triangular pattern in the second and third angles. The circular Latin legend BARCINO CIVI 1638 runs around the periphery between two beaded circles, referencing the original Barcelona municipal issue of 1638 upon which this countermark was applied. The overall design follows the traditional Catalan groat typology. |
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| Additional information |
During the Catalan Revolt of 1640–1652 — the Guerra dels Segadors — Catalonia broke from Castile and placed itself under French protection, triggering a monetary crisis that left local governments scrambling to maintain circulating coin. Tortosa, a strategically vital city on the Ebro, responded by countermarking existing Philip IV reals with a municipal "T" to validate and retain coinage that might otherwise be hoarded or exported. The countermark effectively reauthorized Castilian royal silver under local municipal jurisdiction — an act of fiscal improvisation born of wartime necessity, not royal sanction.