1/2 Real Insurgent Coinage

The insurgent coinage of Oaxaca emerged after Miguel Morelos seized the city in November 1812, establishing one of the few rebel-controlled regions with enough infrastructure to operate a functioning mint. Cut off from silver supplies and the royalist-controlled assay system, the provisional government turned to copper as the only practical medium for small-denomination circulation.

KM#219 spans a four-year window that ended when royalist forces under Melchor Múzquiz retook Oaxaca in March 1814, abruptly terminating production. Surviving pieces vary wildly in fabric and execution — a predictable outcome of improvised casting and hand-cut dies under military siege conditions.