1600–1750: The Age of Reason?
Dentuck
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From The Whitman Review, February 2008:
1600–1750: THE AGE OF REASON?
European Nationalism and Power Politics
by Michael Shubin
When discussing coins of the 17th and early 18th centuries it is necessary to first look to Spain, the unwitting midwife to much of the nationalistic fervor and political activity of the era. The coin illustrated truly epitomizes the complexities and quandaries of Spain. It was struck under Philip IV (1621–1665). The piece is huge for a coin, three inches in diameter, and weighs about five and one half ounces. The cinquentin, with its finely balanced and carefully executed designs, bespeaks imperial majesty, power, and tradition: the perfect currency for a world state, and a world power. Sadly for Spain, it was a role she never quite realized.
Continue reading this article....
1600–1750: THE AGE OF REASON?
European Nationalism and Power Politics
by Michael Shubin
When discussing coins of the 17th and early 18th centuries it is necessary to first look to Spain, the unwitting midwife to much of the nationalistic fervor and political activity of the era. The coin illustrated truly epitomizes the complexities and quandaries of Spain. It was struck under Philip IV (1621–1665). The piece is huge for a coin, three inches in diameter, and weighs about five and one half ounces. The cinquentin, with its finely balanced and carefully executed designs, bespeaks imperial majesty, power, and tradition: the perfect currency for a world state, and a world power. Sadly for Spain, it was a role she never quite realized.
Continue reading this article....
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<< <i>Historians have estimated that from the discovery of Spain’s American possessions to about 1800, well over 158,000 tons of silver and gold were extracted from the New World. >>
Impressive!
8 Reales Madness Collection
In Denmark we have a very large medal from the late 1600s where all the difficulties of making such large coins show: the dies cracked after striking only a handful of medals and the majority of the survivors show some pretty significant die cracks. This medal is about 14 cm. The Spanish coin shown in the picture appears to be incredibly well struck.
Edited to add this link: the medal I'm talking about can be seen as number 124 on this website.
Marcel
The cinquentin is pictured at actual size, and also enlarged to about 95 mm. You get a good view of the laminations caused by the technology of the day. This was definitely an ambitious coin!