Alfonso X Maravedi

Alfonso X's Maravedi was one of the first coins in Castile to feature Arabic numerals, a nod to the king's fascination with Moorish scholarship during his reign.

That detail often gets lost amid the myths about medieval currency. Issued in copper as part of his monetary reforms, these coins helped standardize weights and values across a patchwork of regions. Alfonso, ever the intellectual, probably saw them as tools for trade rather than treasures. They were struck at various mints in Castile, though exact locations for some years remain unclear.

We don't know the precise mintage figures; records from that era are scarce. What survives shows simple designs, like the king's monogram or a cross, on flans that were often irregular due to the metal's quality.

If you're handling one, note the patina—it's a telltale sign of age, not some enchanted relic. Alfonso might have appreciated the irony: a coin meant for commerce, now just another piece in a dealer's tray.