CATHOLIC MONARCHS

Within the territories of the Crown of Aragon, exclusive to King Ferdinand, only his image was to appear on the coins. However, Valencia stood as an exception. There, we find gold coinage featuring the portraits and legends of both Ferdinand and Isabella. These pieces, resembling Castilian gold coins with their double-faced busts, were minted from 1483 onwards. The creation document stipulated that these coins would bear ab la fas nostra e de la serenisssima Reyna muller nostra on the obverse, accompanied by the common coat of arms of both monarchs on the reverse. Moreover, their names were inscribed on the obverse, accompanied by references to the kingdoms of Valencia and Majorca on the reverse. Initially named excelentes, these coins were soon commonly referred to as ducados due to their technical similarities with Venetian ducats, having an exchange value of 21 sueldos. These coins are distinguishable by a small crown positioned next to a dot between the kings’ busts. In this case, they are marked with "ox-xo" in the field under a line, along with an escutcheon bearing a rampant lion, associated with Alfonso Sánchez, Bayle general (a public administrator in charge of tax collection), lieutenant of the general treasurer and master of the mint. This placement of the escutcheon on the obverse is entirely unprecedented as, until that moment, only the initials of the master of the mint and general treasurer - Andreu Catalá (C) or Alfonso Sánchez (S) – were found there. What makes this even more exceptional is that, until now, the only known item of this type of double ducat did not bear any mark of the master of the mint or general treasurer. Consequently, the overall typology of this piece diverges from the previously known type and bears a closer resemblance to that of the single ducat (half excelente), evident in the design of the kings’ busts and the line beneath them. Furthermore, the coat of arms on the reverse appears to be too large for the planchet, leading to truncation at the bottom and encroaching upon the space intended for the legend. As for the lion’s escutcheon, it does not appear on the minting of Valencian ducats until the death of Queen Isabella in emissions under the name of King Ferdinand (though it does appear on the florin and silver reales). These distinctive characteristics render the coin currently up for auction unparalleled and truly unique.