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Cruzado - João IV Évora mint
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1644-1656 |
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| Composition | Silver (.9166) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A large cross pattée occupies the center of the reverse, with the mint mark letter E (for Évora) appearing in the angles of the cross in varying configurations depending on the die variety: in mirror position (∃E∃E) for Gomes J4 101, all inverted (∃∃∃∃) for J4 102, in normal upright position (EEEE) for J4 103, and in mirror position again for J4 104. The encircling Latin legend references the Constantinian motto. The overall design is characteristic of the hammered cruzado coinage of João IV. |
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| Additional information |
João IV came to power in 1640 when Portugal broke from sixty years of Iberian Union under the Spanish crown — the Restoration War that followed lasted until 1668, and the cruzado issues of his reign were struck under the constant fiscal pressure of financing that conflict. The Évora mint, inland in the Alentejo, was activated in part because Lisbon's capacity was strained and because Évora's position made it logistically useful during a period when Portuguese territorial control was genuinely contested.
The four Gomes varieties for this type reflect meaningful die differences documented by specialists, not merely minor collector distinctions.