Catalog
1/2 Real - Fernando VI Monogram
| Issuer | Lima Mint (Viceroyalty of Peru, Spanish Colonial) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1747-1751 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Irregularly shaped cob flan with a prominent crowned royal cipher at center, comprising the interlaced and overlapping letters F and I (Fernandus VI) surmounted by a royal crown in relief, all characteristic of the macuquina monogram type issued at Lima under Fernando VI. The denomination numeral and assayer's initial are partially visible in the field. The legend, where present on the flan, references the king's titles and the mint of issue. The strike, as typical of hammered cobs, is off-center with parts of the design extending beyond the planchet edge. |
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| Additional information |
Fernando VI's accession in 1746 triggered a mandatory recoinage across Spanish American mints, as each new reign required updated monogram types on the fractional silver. Lima was producing these cob-style fractionals — the so-called macuquina coinage — even as pressure mounted from Madrid to transition to the milled, visually uniform coinage that would eventually replace it entirely by royal decree in 1750. This particular type therefore straddles the final years of hand-struck colonial silver production at Lima.
The half real was the smallest practical silver denomination in daily Peruvian commerce, heavily used in market transactions where larger denominations were simply unworkable.