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500 réis gold coin

Sebastian (later 16th century)　・　gold　・　16th century　・　Kingdom of Portugal

500 réis gold coin（obverse）obverse500 réis gold coin（reverse）reverse
JFVP / CC BY-SA 3.0（Wikimedia Commons）

Around the cross on the reverse runs the legend In hoc signo vinces—"in this sign you will conquer". In 1578 the young king Sebastian vanished on a North African battlefield; his body was never identified. The king did not return, the kingdom passed to Spain, and only the gold coin remained as sure as its motto.