1/4 Real 'Cuartillo' with stars

Colombia's cuartillo was a stopgap denomination, introduced in 1849 to address the chronic shortage of small change that plagued everyday commerce in the early republic. The tiny silver pieces were struck at Bogotá under contract conditions that were frequently disputed, and the series spans seven Hernández varieties across its nine-year run — differences in star count and arrangement that reflect successive die replacements rather than any deliberate design revision.

At 0.8 grams, these were among the lightest silver coins circulating in South America at the time, and losses to wear and attrition were substantial.