Portugal (1367-83)-L 1/2 dobra pe-terra Fr-5
This specimen was lot 52486 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Pittsburgh, PA, August 2023), where it sold for $180,000. The catalog description[1] noted,
"Unique Meia (Half) Dobra Pé-Terra of Ferdinand I of Portugal. PORTUGAL. 1/2 Dobra Pé-Terra, ND (1367-83)-L. Lisbon Mint. Fernando I "the Handsome". PCGS MS-64. Obverse: Standing facing king holding sword, mintmark below, within gothic design, legend around "+FERDANDUx-L-xSxͯREXxͯPOTUG"; Reverse: Ornate and stylized cross within quadrilobe, legend around "+FERNANDUxͯREXoͦPORTUGLIALG". An EXTREMELY RARE type with few surviving examples, this piece is listed as UNIQUE in "Moedas De Ouro De Portugal" by Javier Saez Salgado as being the only one to feature a mintmark. Prominently located between the monarch's feet, an "L", slightly off the flan, indicates this piece was struck at the Lisbon Mint. The quality of manufacture of this near-Gem example suggests great care went in the production and later preservation of this piece with finely engraved design features. The intricate and ornate motif is a testament to the high level of skill employed by the mint workers where a detailed image of Dom Fernando I was rendered with bold complete legends on a broad flan. The fields exhibit shimmery luster with an attractive bright pale gold coloration in the exposed areas, while the legends and crevasses offer a faint orange hue adding a bit of contrast to this handsome piece. An extraordinary example of this sought after type from this popular ruler that is destined for the fine numismatic cabinet of a quality conscious collector.
"As with the larger Dobra Pé-Terra, these issues drew their inspiration from contemporary French coinage, though the survival rate is dismal. This is further corroborated by the fact that only six examples are documented, five without mintmark and one with mintmark (the present piece), most of which are in institutional collections including one that has been cut in half. A tremendous offering of the utmost rarity from the Portuguese series of numismatics where consideration should be taken by serious collectors."
Sáez Salgado notes that this coin had a face value of 60 soldos and estimates that perhaps half a dozen examples exist.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 2.56 g, 0.917 fine gold, 30 mm diameter, this specimen 2.55 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-5; Gomes-Unlisted; JS-Fe.4; MNP-242 (for type); Salgado-FI.2 (for type); Vaz-Unlisted; NVMARIA-Unlisted; BEC-Unlisted.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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.
- Sáez Salgado, Javier, Moedas de Ouro de Portugal, 1185-1889, Lisbon, Numisma Leiloes, 2001.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2023 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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