Portugal (1495-1521) tostao
This specimen was lot 23497 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2020), where it sold for $384. The catalog description[1] noted, "PORTUGAL. Tostao, ND (1495-1521). Lisbon Mint. Manuel I. NGC AU-55. Hardly any wear or handling is evident on this attractive piece, featuring a pleasing, well centered strike and an alluring cabinet tone, as well as some lustrous brilliance remaining beneath."
Wikipedia comments,
"Manuel established the Casa da Índia, a royal institution that managed Portugal's monopolies and its imperial expansion. He financed numerous famed Portuguese navigators, including Pedro Álvares Cabral (who discovered Brazil), Afonso de Albuquerque (who established Portuguese hegemony in the Indian Ocean), among numerous others. The income from Portuguese trade monopolies and colonized lands made Manuel the wealthiest monarch in Europe, allowing him to be one of the great patrons of the Portuguese Renaissance, which produced many significant artistic and literary achievements. Manuel patronized numerous Portuguese intellectuals, including playwright Gil Vicente (called the father of Portuguese and Spanish theatre). The Manueline style, considered Portugal's national architecture, is named for the king."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.917 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Gomes-50.09 var. (rev. legend).
- 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, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The January 2020 NYINC Sale: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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