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Blanca - Enrique IV diamond, Avila
| Issuer | Castile and Leon, Kingdom of |
|---|---|
| Year | 1471-1474 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 1.1 g |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A passant lion rampant enclosed within a lozenge (diamond-shaped) frame, representing the Kingdom of Leon, struck in the hammered billon technique characteristic of the Enrique IV monetary reform coinage of 1471-1474. The lion is rendered in a schematic, late medieval style with limited fine detail due to the billon composition and hammered production method. A circular Latin legend encircles the central lozenge device, partially visible around the periphery of the irregular flan. The field outside the lozenge shows typical die-struck texture consistent with Avila mint production. |
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| Mintage | ND (1471-1474) PA |
| Additional information |
The Avila mint's production of this type falls squarely within the most chaotic stretch of Enrique IV's reign — the years following the so-called Farce of Ávila in 1465, when Castilian nobles symbolically deposed him in effigy and crowned a rival king in his place. Monetary policy collapsed alongside royal authority, and mints across Castile issued debased billon coinage with little central oversight. The diamond-shaped quartering on this blanca is a direct response to that crisis: a visual assertion of legitimacy from a king whose legitimacy was openly contested.
AB#827 is documented with significant die variation across surviving specimens, a predictable consequence of decentralized striking during this period.