Português large gold coin
Manuel I (early 16th century) ・ gold ・ 16th century ・ Lisbon
obverse
About the photos
The reverse is not shown on this page. Only the obverse is pictured.
A large gold coin worth ten cruzados, its name simply "the Portuguese". It bears the cross of the Order of Christ and a long royal title. Struck to display the wealth of the India route, it was imitated across Europe. Few coins have carried the name of their nation as their own: this is the summit of the age when coinage was a country's advertisement.