Castilian Maravedi

The Castilian Maravedí often bore Arabic inscriptions on its copper flans, a direct borrow from the Almoravid dinars that influenced its design.

This made it a practical bridge between cultures in medieval Castile, where coins needed to circulate amid the Reconquista's upheavals. Early versions, struck from the mid-12th century, were crude but functional, using whatever copper was at hand—scrap metal, old tools, even recycled artifacts. By the late 1400s, as Castile unified under the Catholic Monarchs, the Maravedí's production shifted to more standardized forms, though quality varied by mint.

We don't know exact mintage figures; records from that era are scarce, likely destroyed in later conflicts. One dry note: Debating a Maravedí's wear is like arguing over a knight's armor—both tell tales of hard use, but neither reveals the full story.

Variations exist, from the hefty early pieces to the lighter late ones, but fakes abound, so handle with care.