1/2 Real - Carlos IV

Carlos IV inherited the Spanish throne in 1788 largely unprepared, and his colonial mints continued operating under administrative inertia more than royal directive. The Santa Fe de Bogotá mint — one of the oldest in the Americas, established in 1621 — produced this fractional denomination primarily to service small transactions in a regional economy where full reales rarely trickled down to ordinary exchange. The half real filled that gap without much ceremony.

The Bogotá mint's assayer marks during this period are the primary tool for attribution within the series, and pieces from the early 1790s can show inconsistent planchet preparation.