Six years after its introduction, however, Alfonso demonetised his own Burgaleses to make room for his maravedises negros, or prietos, a money of billon which lasted till the days of Ferdinand and Isabella.
Twenty-three years later Alfonso issued a second "white money" (1281), so called as distinguished from the Burgaleses, mention of which recur.
To the "second white" (blanco segundo) was also given the (commoner) name of new (novenes). It was issued at one-fourth the value of the prietos. The relationship of the novenes to the prietos and to the standard (now supposititious) gold maravedi is thus expressed:—
15 dineros prietos = 1 maravedi, Old maravedi = 75 sueldos, ∴ 1 prieto = 5 sueldos. Old maravedi = 60 maravedis novenes, ∴ 1 prieto = 4 maravedis novenes.
Under Alfonso the Wise, therefore, the system was as follows:—
10 dineros = 1 noveno, 4 novenes = 1 maravedi de los prietos (= 5 sueldos of 8 dineros each). 10 novenes = 1 maravedi de los Burgaleses. 60 novenes = 1 old maravedi.
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These novenes, or maravedis blancos segundos, continued current through the fourteenth century, and in the laws of John III. are spoken of as "maravedises of our present currency," and as still = 1⁄10 of the maravedises Burgaleses, which latter are spoken of as "maravedises of good currency" (maravedis de los buenos).
But by the close of the fourteenth century, owing to the depreciation of the currency, the novenes had come to be looked upon as of better denomination than the then current coin, and are accordingly spoken of as "old" (viejos) for distinction's sake.