1/2 Real - Carlos IV Proclamation Coinage

Proclamation coins were struck not for circulation but for ceremony — scattered by officials into crowds during the public acclamation ritual following a new king's coronation announcement. Carlos IV's proclamation in 1789 coincided almost exactly with the outbreak of revolution in France, a fact his court was acutely aware of as they staged these loyalty-affirming spectacles throughout New Spain.

The Mexico City pieces for this issue were produced in very small quantities, intended to be caught, kept, and displayed rather than spent. Many survivors show no wear for precisely that reason.