Lot #561: Spain 1870 Five Centimos Coin - Provisional Government - Seated Hispania - Standing Lion - "Perra Chica" - First Decimalized Coin

Obverse: Features a seated figure of Hispania facing right, leaning her left arm on the Pyrenees mountains and stretching her right arm toward the ocean. The design is by Luis Marchionni. The inscription reads CINCO GRAMOS ("Five Grams") with the date 1870 at the bottom, flanked by two six-pointed stars. Reverse: Features a Standing Lion facing left, supporting a shield with the arms of the Spanish kingdoms (Castile, León, Aragon, Navarre, and Granada). The denomination CINCO CENTIMOS ("five centimes") is at the bottom. The inscription reads DOSCIENTAS PIEZAS EN KILOG· (" Two hundred pieces in a kilogram", since the weight was deliberately designed to be an even 5 grams). The Mintmark "OM" is visible below the Lion; it stands for "Oeschger Mesdach & Co.", a French firm that minted coins out of Strasbourg, France. The 1870 Spanish Five Centimos coin is a cornerstone of Spanish numismatics, representing the Provisional Government established after the Glorious Revolution of 1868. This period marked the transition from the monarchy of Isabel II to the eventual establishment of the First Republic, and this coin is the inaugural bronze issue of the decimal Peseta system. Following the exile of Queen Isabel II, the Provisional Government sought to modernize Spain. They deliberately abandoned the the old copper "Maravedis" and "Reales" standards, and adopted instead the decimalized Peseta, to align with the Latin Monetary Union. The lion on the reverse was intended to be majestic, but its stylized appearance led the Spanish public to see more as a dog, and therefor affectionately nickname this coin the "Perra Chica" ("little dog"). This decimalizef 1870 Spanish Five Centimos coin remained in circulation for nearly 70 years, surviving through monarchies, dictatorships, and republics. Dimensions: Bronze. 25 mm. 5 g. Pickup category timeslot {A}