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1/2 Real - Carlos III portrait
| Issuer | Spanish Crown (Lima Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1785-1789 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Central device comprises the crowned quartered arms of Castile and León — castles and lions in opposing quarters with a small pomegranate at the base — enclosed within an ornate shield. The royal crown surmounts the shield, which is flanked on either side by the Pillars of Hercules. The circumferential legend surrounds the design, reading HISPAN . ET IND . R . with the Lima mint mark (L or LIMAE), assayer initial (M or IJ), and the denomination indicator. The legend and devices are typical of the bust coinage struck at the Lima Mint under the Bourbon monetary reforms. |
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| Additional information |
Carlos III's portrait coinage — the "busto" type — replaced the earlier macuquina (cob) coinage across Spanish American mints as part of a deliberate modernization campaign begun in the 1730s. Lima was among the last major mints to fully convert. The half real denomination was the workhorse of small transactions across the viceroyalty, and these tiny pieces circulated hard into the Pacific coastal trade network, frequently turning up worn flat in hoards recovered from Peruvian coastal sites.
Carlos III died in December 1788, making the 1789 Lima strikes among the final coins bearing his portrait from this mint before the transition to Carlos IV types.