Catalog
1/2 Real - Carlos III Pattern, Obverse Trial
| Issuer | Mexico |
|---|---|
| Year | 1770 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Real |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Draped bust of King Carlos III facing right, with elaborately curled and ribboned hair. The portrait is rendered in a naturalistic baroque style, set within a beaded border. The encircling legend reads CAROLUS III · DEI · G · · 1770 · with the date appearing in the lower field below the truncation. The effigy displays fine engraving detail typical of Spanish colonial trial coinage of the period. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Plain, unworked reverse field, consistent with the nature of this piece as an obverse trial strike. The surface shows no design elements, legends, or devices, confirming that only the obverse die was applied during the striking process. The metal exhibits natural oxidation and surface texture typical of a tin trial piece. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Pattern coinage for Carlos III's Mexican issues was part of a broader administrative overhaul of the colonial mint system in the 1760s and 1770s, as the Bourbon reforms pushed to standardize and modernize production across New Spain. Tin trial pieces occupy an unusual niche — they were struck not as presentation pieces but as mechanical proofs of die alignment and press function, essentially disposable working documents of the minting process.
Very few tin trials from the Mexico City mint survived, as the material was considered valueless once the production run was approved.