2009 Spain €50 Silver Proof Coin "Cincuentin"

• Mint: Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre-Real Casa de la Moneda
• Denomination: €50
• Quality: Proof
• Issue limit: 6,000 pcs.
• Alloy: 92.5% Sterling Silver
• Diameter: 73 mm
• Weight: 168.75 grams
• Box/Capsule: Yes/Yes
• Certificate: Yes

This is the second issue in the series "Numismatic Treasures", which features reproductions of representative coins in the history of Spain, and shows the Cincuentín.

2009 marks the 400th anniversary of the first minting of two of the most impressive coins in Spanish history: the silver 50 Reales coin, mostly known as Cincuentín, and the gold 100 Escudos coins, also known as Centén, both minted at the Real Ingenio de Segovia, founded by King Philip II. The coins made by the Real Ingenio were circular, with almost perfect edges, very unlike the irregular-edged coins that result from the traditional hammer-striking process. The Segovia coins were accepted at face value without need for them to be weighed, since the reeding around the edges prohibited the shaving off of bits of gold and silver that was typical for the time. The Real Ingenio began its activity in 1586 and minted a large variety of coins and medals.

The Cincuentín was the name popularly given to the silver coin with a face value of 50 reales, weighing approximately 175 grams and measuring about 76 millimetres in diameter, that was struck in the Real Ingenio during the reigns of the monarchs of the House of Austria, namely Philip III, Philip IV and Charles II. On the obverse was the legend with the name of the monarch, followed by the initials “D.G.” (Dei Gratia) surrounding the crowned shield and displaying the coats-of-arms of Castile, Leon, Granada, Aragon, Naples and Sicily, Austria, ancient and modern Burgundy, the Brabant, Portugal, Flanders and the Tyrol. These were flanked by the marks of the assayer and of the mint, the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, and the value “50” in Arabic numbers. The reverse portrayed the arms of Castile and Leon surrounded by the Latin text “Hispaniarum rex” and the year of minting.