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Tostão 'L-C' - João IV 1st series, Lisbon
| Issuer | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Year | 1641 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crowned royal arms of Portugal within an ornate oval shield, flanked by the mint letters 'L' and 'C' to the left and right of the shield respectively. The crowned escutcheon displays the traditional Portuguese arrangement of quinas and castles. The circumferential legend runs around the beaded inner border, reading IOANNES IIII D G REX PORTVGALIE, identifying João IV as King of Portugal. The coin exhibits the characteristic irregular flan and uneven strike typical of hammered silver coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central cross of the Military Order of Christ (Cruz de Cristo), rendered with splayed terminals, occupying the principal field of the reverse. A small rosette ornament is placed at each of the four corners formed by the cross arms, with an additional pellet or point at each upper terminal, creating a decorative and heraldic composition. The circumferential legend IN HOC SIGNO VINCES — 'In this sign thou shalt conquer' — surrounds the design within a beaded border, referencing the Constantinian motto adopted by the Portuguese Military Orders. The overall design is consistent with the first series tostão coinage struck for João IV at the Lisbon mint. |
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| Additional information |
João IV issued this coin in 1641, the year after he was acclaimed King of Portugal following the revolution of December 1640 that ended sixty years of Iberian Union under the Spanish Habsburgs. The new regime needed currency immediately — not just as a medium of exchange, but to assert fiscal independence from Madrid. The first series was authorized almost at once, with Lisbon's mint working under the newly restored Portuguese crown for the first time since 1581.
The L-C mintmark reflects the assayers responsible for guaranteeing silver fineness at a moment when the restored monarchy could afford no scandal over coin quality.