Spanish royal medal (modern)
Dentuck
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(Please disregard the "Seller" notation in the images; I sold this piece on eBay years ago.)
More Spanish exonumia:
Spanish royalty medal: King Juan Carlos I, Queen Sofia
This medal honors the current reigning King and Queen of Spain.
In 1969 the Cortes approved Francisco Franco's proposal for a restoration of the Spanish monarchy,
with Prince Juan Carlos of Bourbon to take the throne on his death. When Franco died in 1975, the
Bourbon monarchy was restored as he had directed. Juan Carlos became King of Spain on
November 22nd. King Juan Carlos I has maneuvered his nation from the dictatorship of El
Caudillo and European estragement to constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy,
and recent acceptance into the European Union.
To quote the Library of Congress Country Studies:
"The democratization that Franco's chosen heir, Juan Carlos, and his collaborators peacefully and
legally brought to Spain over a three-year period was unprecedented. Never before had a dictatorial
regime been transformed into a pluralistic, parliamentary democracy without civil war, revolutionary
overthrow, or defeat by a foreign power. The transition is all the more remarkable because the
institutional mechanisms designed to maintain Franco's authoritarian system made it possible to
legislate a democratic constitutional monarchy into existence.
When Prince Juan Carlos took the oath as king of Spain on November 22, 1975, there was little
reason to foresee that he would be the architect of such a dramatic transformation. Franco had
hand-picked Juan Carlos and had overseen his education. He was considered an enigma, having
publicly sworn loyalty to the principles of Franco's National Movement while privately giving vague
indications of sympathy for democratic institutions. More was known of his athletic skills than of his
political opinions, and observers predicted that he would be known as 'Juan the Brief.'"
A fascinating modern Prince and King, memorialized on an interesting Spanish medal. I bought it for a euro or two several years ago (when the euro was worth slightly less than a dollar! Remember those days?). This commemorative piece had a suspension loop at top and was attached to connecting rings and a
keychain. It would make a fine pocket watch fob. It is thicker and larger than an old-fashioned
European crown (40mm in diameter).
The medal features a raised high-relief dual profile portrait of King Juan Carlos and his Queen,
Sofia. The reverse shows the crowned shield of the royal arms, also in three-dimensional high relief.
Queen Sofia was born a Princess of Greece (Athens, November 2, 1938), the first daughter of King
Paul I and Queen Frederika.
Sofia spent her childhood in Egypt and South Africa (this was during her family's exile during World
War II). She returned to Greece in 1946, finished her education in Germany, and returned to study
pediatrics, music, and archeology in her homeland. The princess represented Greece in sailing at the
1960 Olympic Games.
She and Prince Juan Carlos were married on May 14, 1962. Their children are the Infanta Elena
(born December 20, 1963), the Infanta Cristina (June 13, 1965), and Prince Felipe (the king's heir,
born January 30, 1968).
Queen Sofia is the executive president of the Queen Sofia Foundation, and presides in an honorary
role over various educational, handicapped, and drug addiction related boards and foundations.
When I sold this medal I described it as an excellent memento for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War, 20th-century European politics and royalty, or Spanish or Greek history.
More Spanish exonumia:
Spanish royalty medal: King Juan Carlos I, Queen Sofia
This medal honors the current reigning King and Queen of Spain.
In 1969 the Cortes approved Francisco Franco's proposal for a restoration of the Spanish monarchy,
with Prince Juan Carlos of Bourbon to take the throne on his death. When Franco died in 1975, the
Bourbon monarchy was restored as he had directed. Juan Carlos became King of Spain on
November 22nd. King Juan Carlos I has maneuvered his nation from the dictatorship of El
Caudillo and European estragement to constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy,
and recent acceptance into the European Union.
To quote the Library of Congress Country Studies:
"The democratization that Franco's chosen heir, Juan Carlos, and his collaborators peacefully and
legally brought to Spain over a three-year period was unprecedented. Never before had a dictatorial
regime been transformed into a pluralistic, parliamentary democracy without civil war, revolutionary
overthrow, or defeat by a foreign power. The transition is all the more remarkable because the
institutional mechanisms designed to maintain Franco's authoritarian system made it possible to
legislate a democratic constitutional monarchy into existence.
When Prince Juan Carlos took the oath as king of Spain on November 22, 1975, there was little
reason to foresee that he would be the architect of such a dramatic transformation. Franco had
hand-picked Juan Carlos and had overseen his education. He was considered an enigma, having
publicly sworn loyalty to the principles of Franco's National Movement while privately giving vague
indications of sympathy for democratic institutions. More was known of his athletic skills than of his
political opinions, and observers predicted that he would be known as 'Juan the Brief.'"
A fascinating modern Prince and King, memorialized on an interesting Spanish medal. I bought it for a euro or two several years ago (when the euro was worth slightly less than a dollar! Remember those days?). This commemorative piece had a suspension loop at top and was attached to connecting rings and a
keychain. It would make a fine pocket watch fob. It is thicker and larger than an old-fashioned
European crown (40mm in diameter).
The medal features a raised high-relief dual profile portrait of King Juan Carlos and his Queen,
Sofia. The reverse shows the crowned shield of the royal arms, also in three-dimensional high relief.
Queen Sofia was born a Princess of Greece (Athens, November 2, 1938), the first daughter of King
Paul I and Queen Frederika.
Sofia spent her childhood in Egypt and South Africa (this was during her family's exile during World
War II). She returned to Greece in 1946, finished her education in Germany, and returned to study
pediatrics, music, and archeology in her homeland. The princess represented Greece in sailing at the
1960 Olympic Games.
She and Prince Juan Carlos were married on May 14, 1962. Their children are the Infanta Elena
(born December 20, 1963), the Infanta Cristina (June 13, 1965), and Prince Felipe (the king's heir,
born January 30, 1968).
Queen Sofia is the executive president of the Queen Sofia Foundation, and presides in an honorary
role over various educational, handicapped, and drug addiction related boards and foundations.
When I sold this medal I described it as an excellent memento for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War, 20th-century European politics and royalty, or Spanish or Greek history.
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