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1/4 Real 'Quarto/Quartilla'
| Issuer | State of Guanajuato |
|---|---|
| Year | 1856-1857 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Real (1535-1897) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts a forward-facing eagle with a serpent held in its beak, set within an oval cartouche. The eagle stands in the classic Mexican heraldic tradition, rendered in low relief. The peripheral legend EST. LIB. DE GUANAXUATO arcs around the upper field in Latin script. Note: this brass variety (KM#352a) exhibits a characteristic yellowish shine distinguishing it from the darker copper KM#352. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse displays the oval arms of the State of Guanajuato, flanked on either side by decorative olive or laurel sprays extending from the base. A radiant Phrygian liberty cap surmounts the shield, symbolizing freedom and republican ideals. The encircling legend OMNIA VINCIT LABOR arcs around the lower portion of the design in Latin script, meaning 'Labor conquers all.' |
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| Additional information |
Guanajuato issued these brass quartos during the mid-1850s under its own state authority, a practice that survived well into the Reform War period precisely because the federal government in Mexico City was too fractured to enforce monetary uniformity. State-issued copper and brass fractional coinage filled a genuine vacuum — silver was hoarded or exported, and small transactions required something tangible. Guanajuato, as one of the wealthiest mining states in the republic, had both the infrastructure and the political will to act independently.
The 1856–1857 date range coincides almost exactly with the promulgation of the Reform Laws under Comonfort, a period of acute institutional instability that made locally issued coinage not just tolerated but necessary.