Item number: A1486

Year: AD 1743

Material: Gold

Size: 13.1 x 12.8 mm

Manufactured by: Seville

Provenance: Stack’s Bowers 2024

This gold coin, minted in AD 1743 during the reign of King Philip V of Spain, holds a denomination of 1/2 escudo. Compared to the type I, the encircling inscriptions have been altered.

The obverse features a portrait of Philip V, facing right. Surrounding the portrait is the inscription “❀PHILIPPUS ❀ V ❀ D ❀ G ❀,” an abbreviation of the Latin phrase “Philippus V Dei Gratia,” meaning “By the Grace of God, Philip V.” Below the portrait, the year “1743” marks the coin’s minting date.

The reverse displays a smaller version of the Spanish coat of arms. The shield’s second and fourth quadrants depict the castle representing Castile, while the first and third quadrants showcase a crowned, standing lion symbolising León. Atop the shield rests the Spanish royal crown. Above the shield is the Latin inscription “❀HISPANIARUM ❀ REX ❀,” translating to “King of Spain.” Below the shield, the notation “P ❀ S ❀ J” appears, where “S” indicates the mint in Seville (Sevilla). The “P.J.” on either side signifies the signatures of assayers Pedro Bernardo and José Antonio Fabra, attesting to the coin’s value and authenticity.

During the 1740s, the Bourbon-Anjou dynasty, under its first monarch Philip V, had firmly established itself on the Spanish throne but faced numerous internal and external challenges. To rebuild Spain’s overseas power, Philip V actively engaged in foreign wars. However, Spain’s finances, already exhausted by the War of Spanish Succession, deteriorated further under the strain of continuous conflicts. The fiscal crisis culminated in Spain’s declaration of bankruptcy in 1739, further undermining governmental credit.

Under Philip V and subsequent Bourbon rulers, Spain progressively restructured its administration along the lines of French absolutism. Despite these efforts, the nation’s declining power and international influence could not be reversed. The frequent issuance of gold coins during this period served as a mechanism to unify currency, stabilise its value, and finance state expenditures.

物件編號: A1486

年代: 公元 1743 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 13.1 x 12.8 mm

製造地: 塞維爾鑄幣廠

來源: SBP錢幣拍賣 2024

此枚金幣為西班牙於公元1743年，國王腓力五世在位期間所鑄造發行的金幣，面額為1/2埃斯庫多，與第一版相比，環繞的字樣有所不同。

金幣的正面為腓力五世肖像，面朝右。周圍環繞著「❀PHILIPPUS ❀ V ❀ D ❀ G ❀」字樣，為拉丁文「Philippus V Dei Gratia」之簡寫，意即「蒙上帝恩典，腓力五世」。下端「1743」，為該金幣發行年。

金幣的背面是西班牙的小盾徽，中央盾徽的第二與第四象限為代表卡斯提爾的高塔，第一與第四象限為代表里昂的戴冠站立雄獅，其上是西班牙王冠。盾徽上方的拉丁文「❀HISPANIARUM ❀ REX ❀」，即「西班牙國王」，下方的「P ❀ S ❀ J」中，「S」為「塞維亞(Sevilla)鑄幣廠」的註記。兩側的「P.J.」則分別是試金員佩德羅·伯納多(Pedro Bernardo) 與何塞·安東尼奧·法布拉(José Antonio Fabra)的署名，擔保金幣的價值。

西班牙的波旁-安茹王朝，在公元1740年代，其第一位君主腓力五世已然穩坐王位，但仍需要面對許多內憂外患。為重建西班牙海外勢力，腓力五世積極參與對外戰爭。西班牙財政本已於西班牙王位繼承戰爭中耗竭，頻繁的戰爭則促使財政再度惡化。公元1939年，西班牙便曾宣布破產，使政府信用進一步降低。在腓力五世與其後數任波旁君主的治下，西班牙逐漸向法式絕對君主制的方向改造政府，但無法挽回逐漸衰弱的國力與國際地位。此時頻繁發行的金幣，則是統一貨幣、穩定幣值與支出財政費用的手段。