Description
Spanish Kingdom of Castile & León, John II of the House of Trastámara, King of Castile & León 1406-1454 AD, Gold Dobla de la Banda (4.59g, 29mm), Seville mint 1406-1454 AD. Obverse: Shield of Arms featuring a criss-cross band terminating in vis-à-vis lion’s heads, inner beaded border and legend beginning with initial mark cross crosslet surrounds, “IOŊAŊЄS⁎ DЄI⁎ GRACIA⁎ RЄX LЄGIOŊI:” (‘R’ of ‘GRACIA’ inverted). Reverse: Quartered field featuring the heraldic devices of the Armorial of the Kingdom of Castille and León, mintmark “S” above, inner beaded border and legend beginning with initial mark cross crosslet surrounds, “IOŊAŊЄS⁎ DЄI⁎ GRACIIA⁎ RЄX⁎ CASTЄ”. Fr-112. A superb and bold early Spanish hammered piece, exceptionally well struck through the reverse devices, an interesting numismatic piece from a period where Castilian money lacked uniformity prior to the reforms of Henry IV and Ferdinand and Isabella and the inception of the Real, details Extremely Fine for the type.
The obverse legend reads “Iōannēs, Deī Gracia, Rēx Legiōnis”, with an English translation of “John, by the Grace of God, King of Leon” – noteworthy, the use of “Gracia”, an early Romance borrowing of the Latin ‘grātia’. The reverse legend reads “Iōannēs, Deī Gracia, Rēx Castellae”, with an English translation of “John, by the Grace of God, King of Castille”.