Item number: A4697

Reference number: KM#673

Year: AD 1878

Material: Gold

Size: 22.0 x 22.0 mm

Weight: 8.0645 g

Manufactured by: Royal Mint of Madrid

Provenance: Fuchin Coin 2026

This is a 25-peseta gold coin issued by the Kingdom of Spain during the reign of King Alfonso XII.

The obverse features a right-facing portrait of Alfonso XII. The surrounding inscription, “ALFONSO XII POR LA G· DE DIOS”, means “Alfonso XII, by the Grace of God”. The year of issue appears below, flanked by six-pointed stars serving as the mint mark of the Royal Mint of Madrid. Beneath the left side of the neck are the initials “G.S.”, which stand for the engraver Gregorio Sellán y González.

The reverse bears the Spanish national arms and the national motto “PLUS ULTRA”, meaning “Further Beyond”. The arms have undergone several modifications throughout their history, while their present form was established in AD 1981. The shield incorporates the heraldic emblems of the historical kingdoms that constitute Spain: the castle represents the Kingdom of Castile, the lion the Kingdom of León, the striped arms the Crown of Aragon, the golden chains the Kingdom of Navarre, and the pomegranate at the base the Kingdom of Granada. At the centre is an inescutcheon bearing three fleurs-de-lis, symbolising the House of Bourbon. The surrounding Spanish inscription, “REY CONSTL. DE ESPAÑA”, means “Constitutional King of Spain”. The inscription “25 PESETAS” below denotes the denomination of 25 pesetas. To the left of the denomination are the initials “D.E.”, the assayers’ mark of Eduardo Díaz Pimienta and Julio de Escosura Tablares, while the “M” to the right is the mark of the balance official, Ángel Mendoza Ordóñez, who was responsible for verifying the weight of the coin.

After the Glorious Revolution (La Gloriosa) overthrew Isabella II in AD 1868, the provisional government introduced a constitutional monarchy and adopted a new constitution the following year. However, the search for a new sovereign proved difficult. The Spanish Cortes subsequently chose Amadeo I of the House of Savoy to occupy the throne, but his reign faced opposition from republicans, Carlists and other factions, while conflicts such as the Third Carlist War further aggravated the country’s instability. After Amadeo I abdicated in AD 1873, the First Spanish Republic was proclaimed, but it soon became beset by internal divisions and military unrest. At the end of AD 1874, Alfonso XII was proclaimed king, restoring the Bourbon monarchy and bringing the Democratic Sexennium to an end.

In October AD 1868, the provisional government introduced the peseta monetary system. As the basic monetary unit was relatively small, a 25-peseta gold coin was issued in place of the 20-peseta denomination. Two years later, gold coins of 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 pesetas were introduced in accordance with the standards of the Latin Monetary Union, all with a fineness of 900‰. After Alfonso XII ascended the throne and the Bourbon monarchy was restored, Spain retained the peseta system established by the provisional government. From AD 1877 onwards, the King’s portrait was widely adopted on newly issued coinage, while the reverse generally bore the crowned Spanish royal arms. The 25-peseta gold coin was struck between AD 1876 and 1885, weighed approximately 8.06 grams and had a fineness of 900‰.

The Latin Monetary Union was established in AD 1865 by France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, with the relevant treaty coming into force the following year. Its principal aim was to standardise the weights and specifications of gold and silver coins issued by the member states, enabling coins from different countries to circulate according to common standards and thereby reducing cross-border transaction costs. Other countries subsequently either formally joined the Union or adopted similar monetary standards. However, differences in fiscal and monetary policies among the member states, together with problems such as the excessive issue of subsidiary silver coinage, gradually undermined the arrangement. After the outbreak of the First World War, the widespread suspension of gold coinage effectively brought its operation to an end. Nevertheless, the Union continued to exist in various forms until AD 1925 and was formally dissolved on 31 December AD 1926.

物件編號: A4697

參考書目編號: KM#673

年代: 公元 1878 年

材質: 黃金

尺寸: 22.0 x 22.0 mm

重量: 8.0645 g

製造地: 馬德里皇家鑄幣廠

來源: 福君錢幣 2026

這是一枚西班牙王國於國王阿方索十二世在位期間發行的25比塞塔金幣。

錢幣正面中央是阿方索十二世面朝右側的肖像。周圍銘文「ALFONSO XII POR LA G·DE DIOS」，意思是蒙上帝恩典的阿方索十二世；下方為年份，兩側有六角星圖樣，為馬德里皇家鑄幣廠的鑄幣廠印記。頸部左下方刻有「G.S」，乃雕刻師格雷戈里奧·塞良·伊·岡薩雷斯（Gregorio Sellán y González）縮寫。

背面是西班牙國徽，國家格言為「Plus ultra」意思是「通向更遠方」。有多個版本，現代的國徽樣式是於公元1981年訂定。盾牌的部分由多個國家徽章組成，象徵著西班牙的組成，城堡代表著卡斯提爾王國、獅子代表著里昂王國、條狀紋章代表亞拉岡王冠、金色鏈條代表納瓦拉王國、盾牌底部的石榴花代表格拉納達王國，最後，盾牌中央的三朵百合花代表波旁王朝。環繞的西班牙文字為「REY CONSTL. DE ESPAÑA」，意為「西班牙的立憲國王」。下方文字「25 PESETAS」表示其面額為25比塞塔；面額左側的字母「D.E.」為驗金師愛德華多·迪亞斯·皮米恩塔（Eduardo Díaz Pimienta）與胡利奧·德·埃斯科蘇拉·塔布拉雷斯（Julio de Escosura Tablares）的標記；右側的「M」則為衡重官安赫爾·門多薩·奧多涅斯（Ángel Mendoza Ordóñez）的標記，其職責為檢驗錢幣重量。

公元1868年「光榮革命」推翻伊莎貝爾二世後，臨時政府建立以君主立憲為基礎的新政體，並於隔年制定新憲法，但尋找新國王的過程並不順利。其後，西班牙國會推舉薩伏依王朝的阿瑪迪奧一世為國王，然而其統治受到共和派、卡洛斯派及其他政治勢力的反對，加上第三次卡洛斯戰爭等衝突，使政局持續不穩。阿瑪迪奧一世於公元1873年退位後，西班牙建立第一共和國，但共和政權很快陷入政治分裂與軍事動亂。公元1874年底，阿方索十二世被擁立為王，波旁王朝由此復辟，民主六年亦宣告結束。

公元1868年10月，臨時政府創立比塞塔幣制，其不便之處在於貨幣單位過小，故製造25比塞塔金幣取代20比塞塔。兩年後又與拉丁貨幣同盟一樣，製作100、50、20、10及5比塞塔金幣，成色皆為900‰。阿方索十二世即位、波旁王朝復辟後，西班牙繼續沿用臨時政府建立的比塞塔貨幣制度。自公元1877年起，國王肖像被廣泛運用於新鑄貨幣之上，背面則多採加冠的西班牙王室盾徽。其中，25比塞塔金幣於公元1876-1885年間鑄造，重量約8.06克，成色亦為900‰。

拉丁貨幣同盟成立於公元1865年，由法國、比利時、義大利與瑞士共同組成，相關條約於翌年正式生效。其主要目的在於統一各成員國金、銀幣的重量與規格，使不同國家發行的貨幣得以按照共同標準流通，從而降低跨境交易成本。此後，其他國家亦正式加入或採用與同盟相近的貨幣制度。然而，由於成員國之間的財政與貨幣政策存在差異，加上小額銀幣過度發行等問題，同盟的運作逐漸受到削弱。第一次世界大戰爆發後，各國普遍停止金幣鑄造，使同盟在實際運作上近乎終結；其制度仍以不同形式延續至公元1925年，最終於公元1926年12月31日正式解散。