Tostão 'L-V' - Manuel I Lisbon mint

Manuel I's reign coincided with the peak of Portuguese spice revenues from the Estado da India, and the crown's bullion position was strong enough to maintain the tostão at a consistently high silver fineness that most European mints could not match at the time. The 'L-V' mint mark pairing reflects the successive tenures of two Lisbon assay masters within the type's production window, which is why Gomes catalogues these as distinct references despite the coins being functionally identical in monetary terms.