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Ceitil - João II Group 5 - Outside wall with two bodies
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1481-1495 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Ceitil (⅙) |
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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 with an outside wall composed of two distinct bodies, depicted over stylized horizontal waves representing the sea, a design characteristic of the ceitil denomination evoking Portugal's maritime identity. The castle, rendered in a somewhat crude hammered style typical of late 15th-century Portuguese coinage, is set within a circular legend. The surrounding Latin inscription reads +IOHANES:SECUNDUS, subject to numerous orthographic and stylistic variations across the emission, and is separated from the central device by a beaded or plain inner circle. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Portuguese royal coat of arms occupies the central field, displaying the traditional arrangement of five escutcheons in cross formation, each bearing five bezants, enclosed within a shield. The shield is surrounded by a border of castles, representing the Kingdom of the Algarve, and the whole is set within a circular Latin legend reading +IOHANES:SECUNDUS. The die work is characteristic of hammered copper coinage of João II's reign, with variable strike quality and legend completeness. |
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| Additional information |
The ceitil was struck specifically for use in Ceuta — the Portuguese enclave on the Moroccan coast seized in 1415 — and circulated so heavily in North African trade that it became functionally worthless in Portugal proper. João II inherited both the coin and the territory when he came to power in 1481, continuing production without significant interruption despite his administration's aggressive reorientation toward Atlantic exploration over Mediterranean commerce.
The Group 5 classification in Magro's typology distinguishes this die variant by the rendering of the castle's outer wall as a double-bodied structure — a minor but consistent feature used to sequence production across João II's reign.