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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;The Eidolon, post: 4534557, member: 102103&quot;]Day 70:&nbsp; From a blanc to a blanca</p><p>This is the end of the billon photo series.&nbsp; I hope that you have enjoyed them!</p><p><br /></p><p>Spain, 1497-1566, Billon 1 Blanca = 1/2 Maravedi</p><p>Obverse:&nbsp; Monogram &quot;F&quot; for King Ferdinand II of Aragon.&nbsp; I think the &quot;C&quot; is Cuenca</p><p>Mint.&nbsp; Some unreadable text should be:&nbsp; &quot;+ FERNANDVS: ET: ELISABET:&quot;</p><p>Reverse:&nbsp; Monogram of Isabella I of Castile &quot;+ REX: ET: REGINA: CAST: LEGI&quot;</p><p>These were also issued in their names under Charles V from 1516-1566</p><p>[ATTACH=full]1122787[/ATTACH]</p><p><br /></p><p>On a side note, Spain was one of the first European countries in Late Medieval/Early Modern times to experiment with copper coinage.&nbsp; The copper &quot;vellón&quot; (literally billon in Spanish, after the coins like these it replaced) coinage started in 1596.&nbsp; The cylinder press allowed mass production of copper coinage which was less easily counterfeited, allowing copper coins to circulate for more than metal value.&nbsp; All that was required for a successful copper token coinage was for the issuing authority to limit supply enough for them to hold their value.&nbsp; Spain failed spectacularly at this.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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