Portugal 2012 5€ "A Peça" King John V

A King of pomp and circumstance, centralisation and of arts and letters, John V of Portugal made an important contribution to Portuguese numismatics and its projection overseas by minting coins that are considered to be among the most beautiful in the world. This is the case of the peça from 1722, also known as the 4 escudo dubloon.

It was also during his reign that the largest Portuguese gold coin so far was minted, the 24 escudo dubloon, weighing 86 g. A lot of the dies used in the numismatics of John V of Portugal had their origins in designs by Viera Lusitano, a fact that is not unrelated to their very special aesthetic qualities. The coins were minted in both Portugal and Brazil – Baía, Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais – whose gold financed the luxury and opulence of the court.