Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
Tostão – João III 3rd type, Lisboa mint
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1555-1557 |
| 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 | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Lisboa (Lisbon) Mint |
| Mintage | ND (1555-1557) - AG# J3 137.01 (Cross with no marks at quadrants) - ND (1555-1557) - AG# J3 138.0x (Cross with º at each quadrant) - ND (1555-1557) - AG# J3 139.xx (Cross with * at each quadrant) - |
| Additional information |
The tostão denomination was introduced under Manuel I and became the workhorse of Portuguese Atlantic trade, circulating from Brazil to the Estado da India alongside cruzados and vinténs. João III's third type at Lisbon represents the final years of a reign defined by the consolidation of Portuguese India and the enormous fiscal strain of maintaining simultaneous commercial and military operations across three continents. By the mid-1550s, the crown was increasingly debasing subsidiary silver while preserving the higher denominations — the tostão's .9166 fineness held, but pressures on the Lisbon mint were considerable.
Gomes distinguishes three varieties within this type, J3 137 through 139, differentiated primarily by die details rather than weight or fineness standards.