COTRIM: COIN OF PORTUGAL
Cotrim, 1438-1481: Kingdom of Portugal
Ruler: Afonso V of Portugal — King of Portugal (1438-1481), known by the sobriquet the African (refers to his military conquests in Northern Africa). He was the first Portuguese monarch to claim dominion over a plural "Kingdom of the Algarves" (on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar), instead of the singular "Kingdom of the Algarve" (southern Portugal).
ALF Q D G R P ET CEPT DNS (legend lost, approximate writing): ALFONSVS QVINTI DEI GRACIE REGIS PORTUGALI ET CEPTE DOMINUS – Afonso V, by the grace of God, King of Portugal and ruler of Ceuta.
Monogram of King Afonso V (Porto Mint variant): crowned letter "A".
ADIVTORIVM NOSTRVM IN NO (legend lost, approximate writing): ADIVTORIVM NOSTRVM IN NOMINE (Adjutorium nostrum in nomine domini) – Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Coat of arms of Portugal of the 1385-1481 type: 5 small shields in the form of a cross from the heraldic shield of Portugal (symbolize the five Moorish kings who were defeated by the first Portuguese king Afonso I); 5 dots on each small shield — 5 bezants (Byzantine gold coin — symbolising the right of the monarch to issue currency, as leader of a sovereign state; in the late Middle Ages coins were interpreted as the five wounds of Jesus Christ).
- Silver (billon): 22 mm - 1.28 g
- Reference price: 9$
COIN COTRIM — WHERE & WHEN (coins catalog: by names & emitents)
COTRIM as coin name. Cotrim is a purely Portuguese denomination of coins. They were issued exclusively only during 1438-1481. Only two types are known — depending on the mint: the Porto mint and the Lisbon mint. The design of both of them is as similar as possible — there are only a few minor differences in details.
Regarding the origin of the name of the coin cotrim, no information could be found. An infrequent coin that is extremely rare in good condition. The pearl of the collection of coins by name.
