spanish coin minted 1529

Hello, I'm a Colorado author who is researching a Spanish coin found along the Colorado River near Grand Junction in 1932. Can anyone give me any info on this coin? The newspaper article talks about a little boy who found it and gave it to his grandmother, Mrs. W.H. Sherman.

She describes it in the article: "The coin bears upon one side the likeness of a Spanish queen, with the lettering 'Isabella.D.Val.Pri.Hisp.Regis.VX' lending to the belief that the likenss is that of the queen who financed Columbus' voyage to the new world. Queen Isabella died in 1504. The other side of the coin bears the image of a king, with lettering, a portion of which is 'D.G.Hisp.Rex.Catholica.' All lettering and figures are clear and distinct, but the coin was roughly minted..."

Mrs. Sherman sent a full description to Curtis Jordan, US consulate in Madrid Spain (in 1932) He conferred with a noted Spanish coin collector who declared that the piece of money was undoubtedly coined in the year 1529 and of great value.

I can't find anything about this coin on the Internet, and was hoping someone could help.

Thanks,
Debbie Brockett

 

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Early 16th Century coins were typically "roughly minted", as generally they were "hammered", that is a round piece of the copper, silver, or gold alloy (depending on value) was placed on an anvil containing a hardened steel or iron reverse image of the coin, the reverse image of the other side was placed on top, and struck be a hammer.

The legends are reasonable to find on a Spanish coin of that era, but the appearance of a Queen who had been dead for 25 years on such a coin would be most unusual as in those days commemorative coins hadn't been thought up, and the portraits on cons were almost invariably those of the reigning monarchs.

Spanish coinage of that era is not one of my specialties, and the only reference materials I have only go back to 1601, so I'm not able to give you much more information. We do have members with a great deal of knowledge about that era, but they don't necessarily read every thread the day it is started. I'm sure that if you are patient, someone will come along to give you more information, including perhaps the full meaning of the legend on the side with the queen. As I'm sure you know, there should be a King's name on the side with the partial legend, which means "By the Grace of God, King of Spain, Catholic".

 

Spanish coin

Thank you, Roy!! Your information is very helpful. Maybe the coin dates back even farther than originally thought. I wish I knew where the coin wound up. I'll be patient and hopefully, there will be more coming.
Deb

 

Deb,welcome aboard.Could you please post some photos of the coin concerned? It would help us in identifying it.

Aidan.

 

1529 coin

Hi Aiden,

I would love to post one, but there is none, just the description in the 1932 article that I relayed earlier. I'm trying to follow up on this long ago event for my book, but my resources so far are limited to the article, unfortunately. However, I have started and solved cold case mysteries and murders on less...one tiny bit of information at a time.

Thanks!
Deb

 

Coins of Ferdinand and Isabella were minted after their deaths,well into the 1550's according to this site:
http://www.walespast.com/article.shtml?id=6&image=2
BUT,and this is a big but...looking at these photos and a LOT of others,it appears that her name was never "Isabella" on their coins but Elisabet.This leads me to believe that this is not an authentic coin but something else,like a reproduction or fantasy piece of some kind.

 

1529 fake

In my adventures writing books, I'm constantly going down what I call "rabbit holes" following up on fantastic things people say. More than half the time, it turns out that didn't happen, or this isn't what it claims to be, so I'm not disappointed if the coin is a fake. Knowledge is power, and I've learned a lot in this rabbit hole, so thanks for everyone's input! I'll check out the website just to add to what I've learned, and will tell the coin's story fully.

What's amazing is this coin was found on the banks of the Colorado River right at the Spanish Trail ford, but this trail was traveled in the 1800s, not the 1500s. So maybe some traveler carried a good luck piece that happened to drop from his pocket...I wonder what happened to him/her?

Thanks, so much for your help!! Happy Trails!
Deb

 

An interesting bit of trivia. Glad I said "almost invariably".

 

1529 coin or is it?

This is my first foray into the world of ancient coins, but I can tell it could get very exciting, if not quite romantic. As a lover of history, the thought of the possible--or impossible--relating to an historical object just sends my synapses apoppin'! Do you all get that when dealing with a coin that may have touched royalty or may have been the price of someone's life or spent the last 10 centuries under water? I would love to know 'my' coin's story. Maybe it was flipped to see who would ford the roaring Colorado River first...maybe it fell out of a holey pocket during a fight...maybe it...

Please tell me I'm not silly.

 

FAR FROM IT! That's exactly the reason I collect!

 

Welcome to the forum writerdeb.

Good luck with the search. I for one have never heard of that discovery.

 

coin stories

Well, I've simply got goose bumps running up and down my spine!! You should write books! LOL! Do I get installment number 2?

This site is going in My Favorites, and you can bet I'll be checking it out in depth. Wow, you just never know what you'll find in these rabbit holes...

 

beautiful coin

Dear Moderator,

This coin is STUNNING! I'd be interested in hearing how you found it and what you felt when you first saw it.

I'm away for the weekend, but will check back Sunday night, so please 'share your knowledge!" And thank you for taking the time to do so...I really appreciate it!

Deb

 

coin's history

Regarding the history of the Franc a Chevel, what an amazing story, not only of its history but of your journey to discover it! Would it be possible to share it in a book some day? My books have these kinds of adventures as I solve cold case mysteries and murders in Grand Junction CO's history. My last chapter is called "The Real Story" and tells of my adventure to solve the mystery. If you'd like to learn about me or them you could visit www.dabrockett.com

Thank you all for helping me understand the allure and magic of the coin world!

Deb

 

Hello, I am the author of www.maravedis.net in her I present/display
the different Spanish currencies, also this the possibility of seeing
it in English. I want decíros that '
Isabella.D.Val.Pri.Hisp.Regis.VX' does not come in any currency of
Kings Catolicos, podeis to see the currencies of these kings in
http://maravedis.net/reyescatolicos.html
reason why one is not a Spanish currency, perhaps a medal or
reproduction
greetings of Tosiriano