In 1642, amid one of the toughest wars in Catalonia's history, a town in the Maresme region briefly became a small coin-making workshop. We're talking about Argentona, and about the coins known as the "Five Reals" — a story that holds special meaning for us because it is, quite literally, the story of our own home.
Catalonia at war, with no currency of its own
During the Reapers' War (1640-1652), Catalonia confronted the monarchy of Philip IV while trying to pay its own troops and its French allies. The main mints were overwhelmed, and silver coin was urgently needed to finance the conflict.
When a town could mint its own silver
To solve this emergency, several Catalan towns were allowed to mint silver coin in a decentralized way, always following the metrological standard set by Barcelona. Historian and numismatist José María de Francisco Olmos has documented that around thirty Catalan localities took part in this extraordinary issue between 1640 and 1652.
Argentona, one of the chosen towns
Argentona is documented as one of these active local mints in 1642. According to the numismatic tradition recorded by specialist Miquel Crusafont i Sabater, a master silversmith is said to have secretly minted the "Five Reals" pieces in the town — high-value, high-purity silver coins — amid total secrecy to avoid reprisals had Castilian troops discovered the minting site.
The legend of the "Juliana" bell
A tradition still very much alive in the town tells how villagers are said to have thrown silver coins — Five Reals among them — into the molten bronze while the "Juliana" bell of the church of Sant Julià d'Argentona was being cast, both to protect them from possible looting and to ask for divine protection. It is a local legend, not an archaeologically documented fact, but it is part of the town's oral heritage and is still passed down among its residents today.
Why they are so rare today
Because production at these emergency mints was small and often poorly documented for the political reasons of the time, the coins that have survived are now highly sought-after pieces among Catalan numismatic collectors.
Ca l'Antic is based in Argentona, so this story is especially close to home for us. You can see our numismatic pieces and objects with history in the Ca l'Antic catalogue.
References
Francisco Olmos, J. M. de (2013). La moneda catalana de la Guerra dels Segadors (1640-1652). Documento de soberanía. Paratge, (26), 333-360. https://www.raco.cat/index.php/Paratge/article/view/288427
Crusafont i Sabater, M. (n.d.). La moneda de la Guerra dels Segadors (1640-1652). Societat Catalana d'Estudis Numismàtics, Institut d'Estudis Catalans.