Catalog
1 Sobirana - Joan Martí i Alanis Episcopal Co-Prince, Latin
| Issuer | Andorra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
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| Composition | Gold (.918) |
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| Obverse lettering | JOHANNES · D. M. EPS. VRGELL. ET · PRINC. VALL. ANDORRAE LT (Translation: Joan D.M. Bishop of Urgell and Prince of Andorra Valleys) |
| Reverse description | The quartered coat of arms of Andorra depicted within a raised circular border at centre. The shield displays the traditional four quarters: upper left bears the mitre and crozier of the Bishop of Urgell; upper right and lower left show the four vertical pales of the County of Foix; and the lower right quarter features two bulls passant, representing the Viscounty of Béarn. The Latin motto legend arcs around the upper portion of the coin, while the Roman numeral date MCMLXXX is inscribed along the lower border. Small floral ornaments flank the date in the exergual area. |
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| Additional information |
Andorra issued no coins of its own until 1976, relying entirely on French and Spanish currency in daily commerce for centuries. The 1980 sovereign series emerged from a deliberate assertion of institutional identity by the Co-Princes — in this case the Episcopal Co-Prince, the Bishop of Urgell — exercising a right to strike coinage that had existed on paper far longer than it had in practice. Joan Martí i Alanis, who held the bishopric from 1971 to 2003, was among the first ecclesiastical figures to appear on a modern Andorran issue.
The .918 gold fineness corresponds to 22-karat, a specification with deep roots in British sovereign coinage — an unusual reference point for a Pyrenean principality.