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Escudo - Afonso V Lisboa and Porto mints
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1438-1457 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Escudo |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays the Portuguese royal shield of arms at center, featuring the characteristic quinas (five escutcheons arranged in a cross) and the bordure of castles, all surmounted by a royal crown with cross and fleur-de-lis finials. The shield is set within a raised inner circle framed by a beaded border. The encircling Latin devotional legend, referencing God as helper and protector, runs between two concentric borders in Gothic lettering. The overall style reflects the late Gothic artistic conventions prevalent in Portuguese royal coinage of the reign of Afonso V. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | + ADIUTOR : ET : PROTECTOR : MEUS: |
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| Mint | Log in to see details |
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| Additional information |
Afonso V came to the throne as a six-year-old in 1438, and the regency period that followed — first under his mother Isabel of Urgell, then his uncle Dom Pedro — created genuine administrative instability at the mints. The escudo issues attributable to this reign's early decades reflect that disruption: both Lisboa and Porto were striking under shifting authority, and the die practices between the two houses diverged enough that Gomes treats their output under separate reference numbers despite the shared type.
Portugal's 750-fine gold standard for the escudo was notably softer than the Castilian standards of the same period, a deliberate choice tied to the economics of Guinea trade gold beginning to flow through Lisbon.