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Tostão - João IV 1st series, Lisbon
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1641 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round (irregular) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | A boldly rendered Cross of the Order of Christ occupies the central field, its distinctive flared, pattée-style arms clearly delineated and set within a beaded inner circle. Small pellets or mullets ornament the quadrants between the arms of the cross. The circumscribed Latin legend IN HOC SIGNO VINCES — 'In this sign thou shalt conquer' — surrounds the inner circle, referencing the motto of the Military Order of Christ. The overall composition is typical of Portuguese silver coinage of the Restoration period, struck by hammer on an irregularly shaped flan. |
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| Additional information |
João IV's accession in 1640 ended sixty years of Iberian Union, and the urgent need for a distinctly Portuguese coinage was both political and practical — Spanish-minted silver had dominated circulation throughout the annexation. The first series issued from Lisbon in 1641 was struck within months of the Restoration, making these among the earliest coins to assert the new Braganza dynasty's legitimacy through metal rather than proclamation.
Gomes J4 65 pieces are notably scarce in problem-free grades, a consequence of Portugal's chronically under-supplied mints struggling to meet immediate post-Restoration demand.