Ardite - Philip IV Barcelona

1640 is not an incidental date. The Catalan Revolt — the Guerra dels Segadors — erupted that June, and within months the Principality had renounced Philip IV and placed itself under French protection. Coinage struck in Barcelona during this window occupies an ambiguous political moment: nominally Philipine, but issued by institutions already in open rebellion against the Crown of Castile.

The ardite was the workhorse small copper of Catalonian daily exchange, and Barcelona's mint ran continuously through the conflict despite changing allegiances overhead.