1/2 Real - Carlos IV

Carlos IV was proclaimed king in December 1788 following the death of his father Carlos III, but news traveled slowly to the Americas. Guatemala's mint continued striking coins under the Carlos III obverse dies well into 1789 before updated dies arrived — meaning some pieces dated 1789 reflect the transitional period where the issuing authority had changed but the tooling had not caught up. KM#41 specifically captures that administrative lag.

The Guatemala City mint, established in 1731, was the sole colonial mint serving Central America. Its output was modest compared to Mexico City or Lima.