Spanish Coin Symbology

In the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries - known as the golden age of Spain - the portrait of the king of Spain was imprinted on the coins. Also, the name of the current king was engraved on the coin along with the words "By the grace of God, King of Spain." These images were mostly to indicate when the coin was minted, under which ruler.

Other symbols, such as the turtle and the heart, also appeared on Spanish coins, though the turtle appears more as a petroglyph than on any coin. Its meaning is to give the searcher directions to where the Spanish had buried or hidden their treasure. Care must be paid, though, to every detail of the turtle. Everything from direction of tail to missing appendages has a meaning which could either point you in the desired direction or warn you of danger. Even markings on the shell of the turtle had meaning, usually indicating distance rather than direction, though sometimes direction was included in some markings.

The heart was believed to be the center of human emotion. As such, the seeds of a plant called silphium, which grew in the shape of a heart, was harvested and used to make a contraceptive. This added a fertility and romantic element to the heart symbol. Because of this association with fertility and romance, the silphium was imprinted on coins from Cyrene. It is also said to have been carved into rocks by the Spanish to point the way to their treasure, like the turtle.