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4 Maravedis - Felipe III hammered
| Issuer | Casa de la Moneda (Royal Mint of Spain) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1598-1621 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 4 Maravedis (2⁄17) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Castle type obverse typical of Felipe III copper coinage, depicting a stylized three-towered castle (representing Castile) within a linear border. The castle is rendered in a crude, bold style consistent with hammered manufacture, with battlemented towers and a central gate visible in the field. The surrounding legend reads PHILIPPVS III D G, identifying the issuing monarch Philip III by the grace of God. The overall strike is irregular and slightly off-center, characteristic of hand-struck maravedis of this period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | PHILIPPVS III D G (Translation: Philip III by the grace of God) |
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| Additional information |
Felipe III inherited a mint system already strained by the demands of colonial silver extraction, but it was the peninsula's own copper coinage that caused the most immediate fiscal damage. The crown repeatedly debased the vellón copper issues during his reign, then attempted to restamped existing coins to new face values — a cycle of debasement and revaluation that collapsed public confidence and drove silver out of circulation entirely by the 1610s.
Hammered copper of this period is notoriously irregular in flan preparation, and many pieces were struck off-center simply because the blanks were cut by hand from sheet stock of inconsistent thickness.