Identifying Spanish Coins By Their Cross Designs The cross on the Spanish coin symbolizes the union of church and state and the premise that Spain was the most powerful Catholic country in the world. The basis for all the crosses that appear on the reverse side of the coins is the Jerusalem cross or Crusader's cross. The "Cruz Griega" or Greek Cross was used by the New World mints of Potosi, LaPlata, Lima, Bogotá and Cartagena. Lima was the first mint to begin this design in 1571 and the other mints followed until 1652 when the coin die was changed to the "Pillar & Waves" design. The Jerusalem cross with the perpendicular arms was used by the Potosi mint from 1652 to 1772 and the Lima mint from 1684 to 1751. These coins are very similar but can be distinguished by their mint marks of "L" and "P" respectively. The Cruz Florenzada was used only by the Mexico mint on their silver coins. The cross appears to have raised circular dots attached to the ends of the cross, which were meant to look like fleurs-de-lis. Mexican gold coins do not always have the dots on the end and often have just the Jerusalem cross with the perpendicular arm. The cross side also has the Lions of Leon and the Castles of Castile in the four quadrants of the cross. This symbolizes the joining of the two provinces that eventually united Spain and promoted her to the most influential country in the world and remained that way for almost four centuries. |
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