Spain Juan Carlos I 50 Pesetas

History

50 Pesetas 1975-1980, KM# 809, Spain, Juan Carlos I

Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com

Description

Juan Carlos I (born 5 January 1938) reigned as King of Spain from 1975 until his abdication in 2014. Juan Carlos is the grandson of Alfonso XIII, the last king of Spain prior to the monarchy's abolition in 1931 and the subsequent declaration of the Second Spanish Republic. Following his victory in the Spanish Civil War in 1939, Generalísimo Francisco Franco, the Spanish dictator, took over the government of Spain and in 1947, Spain's status as a monarchy was affirmed and a law was passed allowing Franco to choose his successor. Franco died in November the following year and Juan Carlos became king on 22 November 1975, two days after Franco's death, the first reigning monarch since 1931. Expected to continue Franco's legacy, soon after his accession, Juan Carlos, however, introduced reforms to dismantle the Francoist regime and begin the Spanish transition to democracy. This led to the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 in a referendum, which re-established a constitutional monarchy.

Obverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Juan Carlos I Portrait in left profile of Juan Carlos I surrounded by the inscription "Juan Carlos I King of Spain", date below. Engraver: Manuel Marin JUAN CARLOS I REY DE ESPANA · 1975 ·
Reverse	Coat of arms King of Spain Crown, jewelry Spanish Royal Crown Order, medal etc. Order of the Golden Fleece Depicts the facial value and the сoat of arms of the King of Spain. The exact year of issuing is located in the stars on both sides of the value 50. The coat of arms is composed of six other arms: castle of Castile, lion of León, stripes of Aragon, chains of Navarre, pomegranate flower of Granada and fleur-de-lis of the House of Bourbon. The yoke and the bundle of arrows of the Catholic Monarchs below. The escutcheon represents the currently reigning dynasty Bourbon-Anjou. All surrounded by the collar of the Golden Fleece and crowned with the Royal Crown of Spain. The Order of the Golden Fleece is a Roman Catholic order of chivalry founded in Bruges by the Burgundian duke Philip the Good in 1430, to celebrate his marriage to the Portuguese princess Isabella. It became one of the most prestigious orders in Europe. Today, two branches of the Order exist, namely the Spanish and the Austrian Fleece; the current grand masters are Felipe VI, King of Spain, and Karl von Habsburg, grandson of Emperor Charles I of Austria, respectively. Engraver: Francisco Martinez 19 50 76 PTAS
Edge	Inscribed (lettered) \| * UNA * * \| GRANDE * \| * LIBRE *