Catalog
Dinheiro 'A' - Afonso I
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1139-1185 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Latin |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal following his victory at the Battle of Ourique in 1139, and the establishment of an independent Portuguese coinage was inseparable from that political assertion. The dinheiro was the basic unit of that nascent monetary system, directly inherited from the Leonese and Castilian traditions Portugal was actively breaking from. The 'A' classification in Gomes distinguishes this type among several dinheiro emissions attributed to Afonso I's long reign, a span of over four decades during which the kingdom's borders — and its minting practices — shifted repeatedly.
The billon content places this squarely in the practical realities of an early medieval Iberian economy short on refined silver.