Ceitil - Afonso V Group 2 - High outside wall with columns and without battlements

The ceitil takes its name from Ceuta, captured by Portugal in 1415 in the campaign that launched Afonso V's father, Duarte, into dynastic legend — though the coin itself postdates that conquest by a generation. It was struck specifically to supply the North African garrisons and trading posts, where small copper coinage was chronically scarce and Spanish and Marinid issues circulated in its place.

The typological groupings within Afonso V's ceitil series — distinguished by wall height, column treatment, and battlement presence — reflect successive die workshops rather than deliberate iconographic policy. Magro's classification has since become the reference standard for separating these issues.