Mexico, New Spain Charles IV 1/2 Real

History

1/2 Real 1792-1808, KM# 72, Mexico, New Spain, Charles IV

Obverse. Photo © Numismatic Guaranty Company

Description

The capture of Tenochtitlan and refounding of Mexico City in 1521 was the beginning of a 300-year-long colonial era during which Mexico was known as Nueva España (New Spain). The Kingdom of New Spain was created from the remnants of the Aztec hegemonic empire. Subsequent enlargements, such as the conquest of the Tarascan state, resulted in the creation of the Viceroyalty of New Spain in 1535. The Viceroyalty at its greatest extent included the territories of modern Mexico, Central America as far south as Costa Rica, and the western United States.

Charles IV (Spanish: Carlos Antonio Pascual Francisco Javier Juan Nepomuceno José Januario Serafín Diego; 1748–1819) was King of Spain from 14 December 1788, until his abdication on 19 March 1808.

Obverse	Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Charles IV Portrait of the king right surrounded by the inscription "Charles IV by the Grace of God". Date below. •CAROLUS•IIII•DEI•GRATIA• 1804
Reverse	Coat of arms Spain Construction (building, bridge etc.) Pillars of Hercules Crown, jewelry Spanish Royal Crown Depicts the crowned Spanish coat of arms between the Pillars of Hercules surrounded by the inscription HISPAN[IARUM] ET IND[IARUM] (King of the Spains and the Indies). The Spanish 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 escutcheon represents the currently reigning dynasty Bourbon-Anjou. On either side of the coat of arms are the Pillars of Hercules, the mythological name given to the Straits of Gibraltar. The banner round the pillars is the national motto of Spain "Plus Ultra" which means "further beyond" in Latin, referring to the Americas and the former Spanish territories. Over the pillars are two crowns, one an Imperial Crown and the other a Royal Crown. King Charles I of Spain was also the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, hence the Imperial Crown. Coin value: R (1/2 Real) Mint mark: Mo (Mexico City) Assayer initials: TH (FM, FT - Forcada, TH - joint assayers). •HISPAN•ET IND•R•Mo•T•H• PLVS VLTRA
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