Real of Afonso IV

The copper real of Afonso IV was one of the earliest Portuguese coins to use recycled metal from worn-out foreign imports, a pragmatic choice during the kingdom's financial woes in the mid-14th century.

That recycling habit meant these coins often carried faint traces of older designs, like ghostly echoes from Spanish or Moorish pieces melted down in Lisbon's mint. Struck on irregular planchets, they served as everyday currency for peasants and merchants alike. We know Afonso IV issued various denominations, but specifics on the real's exact weight or diameter remain murky, lost in the fog of medieval record-keeping.

No one can say for sure how many were produced; the archives from that era are as scarce as hen's teeth. As for humor, these coins prove that even kings had to make do with copper when the gold ran out.