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Ceitil - Sebastião I Group 3 - Without circumference on both sides
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1560 |
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| Currency | Real branco (1415-1517) |
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| Obverse description | A stylized castle with three towers rises above a representation of the sea, depicted as undulating or straight waves depending on the die variety. The castle, a traditional symbol of Portuguese royal authority, occupies the central field. A circular legend in Latin surrounds the central device, with considerable variation in lettering style and spacing across known specimens. No inner beaded or linear circumference border is present, which distinguishes this Group 3 type. The coin's irregular flan, typical of hammered production, results in partial legend strikes on many examples. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The ceitil was Portugal's lowest-denomination coin throughout the Age of Discovery, yet it was struck in enormous quantities to pay for the daily provisioning of ships, harbor workers, and colonial garrisons. Sebastião I came to the throne as a child in 1557 under regency, and the early coinage of his reign reflects the administrative continuity of his grandmother Catherine of Austria's government rather than any deliberate royal numismatic program.
The Group 3 classification — distinguished by the absence of a circumference line on both faces — represents a die simplification that likely reduced engraving time on what was already a high-volume, low-value production coin.