Spain - Ferdinand & Isabella - Double Exelentes

Double Excelente (post.1497), Sevilla. Ø 30 mm; 6.96 g.
Obv.: + FERNANDVS·ET·ELISABET·DEI·GRATIA·:
Ferdinand and Isabella, crowned and face to face. Ermine with dots (assayers mark) above and "S" (Seville) is the mintmark located between the monarchs' chests.
Rev.: SVB·VNBRA·ALARVN·TVARVM·PROT·
"sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos" = "In the shadow of the wings take us under your protection"; haloed eagle of the evangelist John behind the crowned coat of arms. Here the eagle does not hold the arms in its claws, as on other 2 Excelentes issues, of which there are many types and varieties.
The Coat of Arms, post 1497, is now newly combined and represents the kingly possessions of both Catholic Monarchs: Castile - León | Aragón - Sicily, and below a pomegranate representing newly freed Granada (1492).
The well known image of the royal couple facing each other and the united coats of arms on the reverse indicates the firm intention to unite the kingdoms of Castile and Aragón. Special Exelentes issues of values up to 50 excelentes were also minted and are very rare . The image of the obverse became very popular and was copied by other royal couples: by Philip II & Mary Tudor, by Francis II & Maria Stuart and by Albert & Isabel, governors of the Spanish Netherlands.
This era generally recognized as the time when the Middle Ages are fading and the Modern Era begins, and coincides with the Age of Discovery. Coin engraving was more advanced and seeking better portrait details. The engraver tried for an individual representation, but did not achieve recognizability. Please see the previous image of the same coin with a different lighting scheme.