1/2 Real - Louis I

Louis I ruled Spain for just 229 days in 1724 before dying of smallpox in August, making his coinage among the briefest-reign issues in Spanish colonial numismatics. The Potosí mint, already operating under the assayer system that defined cob-era accountability, struck these pieces under assayer marks that remain the primary tool for attribution within the 1725–1727 window — the dates themselves reflecting continued use of his name after his death, as Philip V's restoration required administrative time to filter through to colonial mints.