Azores (1582) 4 reis
This specimen was lot 73192 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description[1] noted,
"PORTUGAL. 4 Reis, ND (1582). Angra do Heroismo Mint. Antonio I (the Prior of Crato). PCGS AU-50. A lovely example of this copper type struck in the name of the pretender Antonio I. Featuring even brown surfaces, the piece remains sharp and delightfully wholesome. All details are well-presented, including the mintmark and the goshawk, the symbol and namesake of the Azores, on either side of the royal shield. Exhibiting only planchet flaws as made, the coin is free from damage. A lovely survivor that will appeal to collectors interested in Portugal's long and complex royal history.
Antonio I was one of several claimants of the Portuguese throne during the succession crisis of 1580. As the illegitimate grandson of King Manuel I, his claim was considered weak. Managing to secure the throne for just 20 days, he soon suffered a defeat by Habsburg forces and was forced to flee to the Azores, where he ruled in exile while Philip II of Spain consolidated control of mainland Portugal. By 1583, he once again had to flee, this time to France where he continued to advocate for his moribund cause. During his short tenure on the Azores, he asserted his claim by the mintage of coins in his name and the countermarking of older Portuguese issues. Struck during a very short period and often confiscated and destroyed after his defeat, all of Antonio's coinage is quite scarce today."
When king Sebastian of Portugal was killed in Morocco while on crusade in 1578, the throne fell vacant. Antonio, prior of Crato and first cousin of the slain king, put himself forward as a candidate for the throne but had to yield before Philip II of Spain with his much larger treasury and army. Antonio held out for a while in the Azores, where this coin was issued, but had to flee into exile in 1582. Portugal was united with Spain until 1640.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: Gomes-04.01.
- Alberto Gomes and Francisco Antonio Magro, Moedas Portuguesas e do Território Que Hoje é Portugal: Catálogo das Moedas Cunhadas para o Continentes e Ilhas Adjacentes, para os Territórios do Ultramar e Grão-Mestres Portugueses da Ordem de Malta, 6ª Edição, Lisbon: Associação Numismática de Portugal, 2013.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Featuring the Richard Elliott Collection of Hooknecks, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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