Item number: A96

Year: AD 1621-1665

Material: Copper

Size: 23.54 x 25.11 mm

Weight: 6.5 g

Manufactured by: Spain

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2023

This copper coin was minted during the reign of King Philip IV of Spain (AD 1621-1665). It is a “Billon” coin, crafted from pure copper. The term “Billon” was derived from the French word for “alloy” and typically referred to coins made from base metals. The denomination of this auxiliary currency was known as “Maravedis,” a term originating from the Visigothic Kingdom that once conquered the Iberian Peninsula.

The obverse of the copper coin features a castle protected by a shield in the centre, topped with a crown. Additionally, the Arabic numeral in the centre and the Roman numeral stamp on the right indicate that the coin has a denomination of 8 Maravedis. On the reverse, a lion is depicted, symbolizing royal authority, protected by a shield and wearing a crown.

In AD 1492, following Columbus’s arrival in the Americas, vast amounts of gold and silver precious metals from the New World were transported to Europe, triggering a price revolution in the continent. Given the lack of improvement in Spain’s industrial capacity, it resulted in the domestic situation characterized by “more money, fewer goods,” namely, the issue of inflation.

To address the issue of inflation, the Spanish Empire decided to issue more coins, ideally using silver as the primary material, given its value as a precious metal. However, for the royal court, allocating silver for external military expenses took precedence at the time, leading to the decision to use cheaper material->copper for minting Billon coins instead.

In AD 1599, Philip III was the first to declare that all Maravedis auxiliary coins would be minted from copper, excluding silver and other precious metals. In AD 1652, his successor, Philip IV, further stipulated that the denominations of the auxiliary coins would be 1, 2, 4, and 8 Maravedis.

物件編號: A96

年代: 公元 1621-1665 年

材質: 銅

尺寸: 23.54 x 25.11 mm

重量: 6.5 g

製造地: 西班牙

來源: 福君錢幣 2023

此銅幣為西班牙的腓力四世在位期間(公元1621-1665年)，以純銅打造的「比倫」(Billon)輔助貨幣，比倫一詞源自法語「合金」，通常是指以賤金屬鑄造的硬幣。輔幣的面額稱作「馬拉威迪」(Maravedis)，源自曾征服伊比利半島的西哥德王國。

銅幣的正面，中央有一座被盾牌保護的城堡，上頭還有一頂王冠。另外從中央的阿拉伯數字跟右側的羅馬數字印戳，能知道該硬幣的面額為8馬拉威迪。銅幣的反面，則是一隻被盾牌保護，象徵王權頭戴王冠的獅子。

公元1492年，哥倫布到達美洲後，新大陸的金銀貴金屬大舉運往歐洲，促成歐洲的物價革命。西班牙的產業能力未提升的前提下，造成國內面臨「金錢多，商品少」，即通貨膨脹問題。為了解決通貨膨脹的問題，西班牙帝國決定發行更多的硬幣，理想的原料理當是作為貴金屬的白銀。但對於王室而言，此時將白銀用作對外軍費的順序更為優先，決定改以較便宜的銅作為原料。公元1599年，先是腓力三世宣布，一律以銅打造比倫輔幣，不再混入銀等貴金屬。公元1652年，後繼的腓力四世進一步規定輔幣的面額為：1, 2, 4和8馬拉威迪。