Portugal (1580) cruzado Fr-44
This specimen was lot 23450 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2023), where it sold for $36,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Very Rare Interregnum Issue from the Regency Period, PORTUGAL. Cruzado (500 Reis), ND (1580). Lisbon Mint. Regents of the Kingdom. NGC MS-62+. Obverse: Crowned coat-of-arms; Reverse: Voided cross potent. Already a TREMENDOUS RARITY, this incredible survivor offers quality that is almost never encountered in hammered issues, offering a pleasing strike, dazzling brilliance, and an enticing golden-yellow hue. It is difficult to imagine encountering a better specimen any time soon, if ever. The obverse legend presents the issuing authority--not a monarch such as a king or queen, as would normally be the case, but instead the Governors, or Regents, of the Kingdom. This was due to the death of Henry I in 1580, as he had no heirs. As such, these EXTREMELY RARE interregnum issues exists in extremely small quantities and undoubtedly stand out within the Portuguese series." Sebastian's death in 1578 in North Africa while fighting the Moors ended the Aviz dynasty. After some confusion, Philip II moved in and annexed Portugal to Spain, where it would remain until 1640.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rare.
Specification: 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 3.78 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-44; Gomes-03.04.
- 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.
- Sáez Salgado, Javier, Moedas de Ouro de Portugal, 1185-1889, Lisbon, Numisma Leiloes, 2001.
- 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, The January 2023 NYINC Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, featuring the Taraszka Collection and the Mark and Dottie Salton Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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