Pre-Long Beach Auction #81

Spain. Double Excellente, ND S (Seville). Fr-129; Cayon-2937. Ferdinand and Isabella, 1479-1504. Obverse: Facing rulers. Reverse: Winged shield of arms. Boldly struck crowned portraits and nice surfaces with much original mint luster. NGC graded MS-63.
* The marriage of royal cousins Ferdinand of Aragon (1452-1516) and Isabella of Castille (1451-1504) had the effect of introducing stability to both kingdoms, and they presided over a Golden Age. The Inquisition, a state-controlled Castilian tribunal authorized by the Pope in 1478, soon extended throughout Spain. Religious tolerance was denied to hundreds of thousands of non-Christians and they were expelled en masse from the country. But this was also an era of exploration of the New World and Spain soon found an outlet for the crusading energy that the war against the Muslims had stimulated. Columbus's first voyage was in 1492 and Vasco Nunez de Balboa reached the Pacific in 1513. Magellan's expedition completed a circumnavigation of the world soon after. Estimated Value $2,500 - 2,800