Henry IV of Castile, rare type?

[Jim Roberts]

The king's name on these little Castilian blancas is usually written without a numeral:  ENRICVS DEI GRACIA.  The 1865 reference work by Heiss actually lists it under Henry III, not Henry IV.

So I thought it was interesting to find a specimen that indicates the king's numeral: ENRICVS CARTVS.  This obverse inscription is not mentioned in Cayon & Castan (see #1629), and I cannot find it displayed or mentioned anywhere else on the web.  Does anybody here perhaps have other Spanish reference works that include it?

This coin type has an important connection to the New World.  When archaeologists excavated La Isabela, the site where part of the crew of Columbus's second voyage spent a few years on the island of Hispanola, this type was found more often than any other.  Queen Isabella did not strike any small coins in the early part of her reign, so these coins, which had been struck by her elder brother Henry IV, served as the "pennies" of that time.

Thanks for any information.
Jim

[rick2]

this coin was minted in Toledo as you can see from the T in the left pic.

these coins were probably used in the new world as they were part of the mass of coinage in circulation

however isabella and fernando issued a series of maravedis specifically for use in santo domingo in 1502-1504.
this coins were minted in burgos and seville and were later shipped to the americas.

this went on througout 1510-1520 and 1530 with later coins bearing the monogram of charles and ioanna.


the first mint to be established in the new world is the one in mexico city in 1536 followed by santo domingo which started operation under charles V in 1542 and was shut in 1564

[Jim Roberts]

Thanks for all the information, rick2.

Just one more thing, can you tell me whether these have ever been seen with the king's numeral (CARTVS, =4)?

Thanks again,
Jim

[rick2]

unfortunately I dont know that 

my interest in spanish coins starts with the discovery of the americas and the imperial mints (after the reconquista and the unification of Spain)

[Jim Roberts]

Last night I finally found a reference to another specimen of this type with the numeral "CARTVS":
http://www.identificacion-numismatica.com/t41631-blanca-del-rombo-de-enrique-iv-burgos-1471

A Spanish collector asked about his specimen from the Burgos mint inscribed "ENRICVS CARTVS REX", and was directed to a catalog by ROMA-BRANA, coin number 130.  So apparently this variety is known, and has been documented.  But it is quite rare, I think, probably because the coin has so little space left over beyond what's needed for the mandatory part of the inscription: ENRICVS DEI GRACIA.  The king would probably have been scandalized if he ever saw one of the "godless" versions of this type.  The larger denominations didn't have this problem, so they routinely included his numeral.

Many thanks to rick2, and to anyone else who might have spent time considering this subject.
Jim

[Arminius]

Cayón in his 1998 edition only mentions the standard legends ЄnRICVS DЄI GRA.. / XPS VINCIT + XPS on this smallest denomination, the "Blanca del Rombo". 

But as cheap and usually bad struck bulk coins never attract the attention of cataloguers too much this must not mean other legend varieties don´t exist.

Maybe this is a similar one:

http://www.arminius-numismatics.com/coppermine1414/cpg1414/albums/userpics/10001/SpanUBK7.jpg

Spain, Castilia and Leon, Enrique IV. "el Impotente" (1454-1474 AD.), Cuenca mint, 1471-1474 AD.,
Dinero or Blanca del Rombo (18-19 mm / 1,19 g),
Obv.: [ + ЄnRI]CVS [DЄI] GRAV[...] (or [ЄnRI]CVS CARTVS ?) , a castle in a rhombus, mint mark "C" above, cup (la cuenca) beneath - alrededor de un rombo que contiene un castillo, con "C" la ceca, cuenco debajo y C encima.
Rev.: + XP[S VINCIT] + XPS , crowned lion rampant left within rhombus - alrededor de un rombo que contiene un león rampante coronado.
cf. Cayón (1998 ed.), p. 307, #1595 .

For the higher denominations Cayón lists legends as ENRICVS CARTVS , ENRICUS CVARTVS , ENRICUS QVARVS, ...

During the last decade new medieval Spanish types were detected by hobby numismatists - especially in "neglected" materials like billon or bronze.

Maybe you should post this in one of the Spanish websites under the medieval discussions: OMNI - taller numismatico, Imperio-numismatico, and another Spanish Forum: Comunidad Numismática (links on my website).

Usually these Caballeros are very kind and skilled experts on Spanish coins.

Regards
 

[Jim Roberts]

That does look like a third specimen, and all of them from different mints.  So I suspect you're right that the numeral CARTVS on this coin type has simply been overlooked and is not necessarily all that rare.

A while back I tried to get onto the Spanish discussion group at "maravedis.net" but I had some problems with the registration process.  I'll give that another try and will also look at the sites you've suggested.  There must be specialists over there who know everything there is to know about these coins.

Thanks a lot, Arminius,
Jim

[Arminius]

I never got a response from maravedis.net so far.

I suspect that´s the kind of a non responsive forum, established once but then neglected by the owner.

The others are more or less crowded and can be even "over-responsive".

A.

[danielus]

Hello: sorry, could you tell me about the source of this quote?
...."“This coin type has an important connection to the New World.  When archaeologists excavated La Isabela, the site where part of the crew of Columbus's second voyage spent a few years on the island of Hispanola, this type was found more often than any other.  Queen Isabella did not strike any small coins in the early part of her reign, so these coins, which had been struck by her elder brother Henry IV, served as the "pennies" of that time.”..
I was looking for other sources and I could not discover anything.
Thank you very much.

[Jim Roberts]

The coins discovered at Columbus's settlement are itemized by Alan Stahl in "Coins from the excavations at La Isabella, D.R.", published in the American Journal of Numismatics Ser, 5-6 pp.189-209.

An online confirmation of the high frequency of the "billon blancas" like mine at that historic site can be found in the final two paragraphs of this  page, which quote Stahl's comments on the subject...

http://www.flheritage.com/archaeology/projects/shipwrecks/emanuelpoint/reports/index.cfm?doc=ep1992&section=79

Regards,
Jim

[Jim Roberts]

Glad to be able to help!  I don't think very many people know about the unique position of this coin type in the history of the New World.  I'd say it's the only medieval European coin ever used in a major way on this side of the Atlantic.

Your coin is a nice clear specimen, the type with four annulets on the obverse like the second coin on this page:
http://www.maravedis.net/enrique4_blanca_rombo_toledo.html

Regards,
Jim