ObverseImage: Wikimedia Commons · Hispalois · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cruzado of Afonso V
Portugal
1438–1481
Reference data compiled from public catalogs
Estimated Melt Value
$500.46
Based on Gold spot price ($4,831.225/oz) · 90.0% purity · 3.58g
Updated 5:37 PM
Collector premium not included
Specifications
| Country | Portugal |
| Years Minted | 1438–1481 |
| Composition | Gold |
| Weight | 3.58 g |
| Diameter | 22 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
Design
Obverse
Armored bust of King Afonso V facing right.
Reverse
Cross of the Order of Christ.
History & Notable Facts
The Cruzado of Afonso V was minted from gold sourced from West African mines, a direct result of Portugal's early forays into the slave and gold trades.
Weighing around 3.5 grams, it featured the king's portrait on the obverse and the Portuguese coat of arms on the reverse, a design that echoed the era's growing imperial ambitions. Struck at the Lisbon mint, these coins helped standardize currency for merchants venturing beyond Europe. Records don't specify exact production volumes; what we know is that output likely varied with the king's campaigns.
As for variations, some Cruzados show signs of being overstruck on older coins, a practical reuse in times of metal scarcity. Historians aren't sure about the full extent of its circulation, but examples have turned up in shipwrecks off the African coast.
That reminds me: even coins can end up in the drink, just like the sailors who carried them.
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