Sancho IV's cornados were introduced shortly after he seized the throne from his nephew Alfonso de la Cerda in 1284, a succession dispute that fractured the Castilian nobility and required Sancho to rebuild royal finances rapidly. The small crown above the portrait — source of the "cornado" name — was a deliberate assertion of legitimate kingship during a reign never fully accepted by all magnates. AB#305 distinguishes this point variety from closely related emissions; the positioning of the punctuation mark was a mint control device, not decorative.
Sancho IV's cornados were introduced shortly after he seized the throne from his nephew Alfonso de la Cerda in 1284, a succession dispute that fractured the Castilian nobility and required Sancho to rebuild royal finances rapidly. The small crown above the portrait — source of the "cornado" name — was a deliberate assertion of legitimate kingship during a reign never fully accepted by all magnates. AB#305 distinguishes this point variety from closely related emissions; the positioning of the punctuation mark was a mint control device, not decorative.