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1/4 Real 'Quarto/Quartilla' Federal coinage
| Issuer | Mexican Republic |
|---|---|
| Year | 1831 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the Mexican federal eagle displayed facing left, perched upon a cactus growing from a rocky outcrop amid a lake, with wings spread and devouring a serpent in its beak — the emblematic device of the Mexican Republic. A wreath of laurel and oak branches frames the lower portion of the field. The circular legend REPUBLICA MEXICANA runs along the upper periphery in raised Latin letters, separated by a dot. The entire design is enclosed within a finely beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents the large fractional denomination numeral '1/4' prominently in the center of the field, rendered in bold raised figures. To the lower left appears the mint mark 'Mo' (Mexico City), flanked by the assayer initial 'A' and the date '1831', all separated by dots. The central devices are encircled by a wreath of two symmetrical palm or laurel branches tied at the base with a ribbon bow. The whole is contained within a beaded border consistent with the obverse. |
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| Additional information |
Mexico's fractional copper coinage of the early republic was a federal solution to a problem the colonial system had never fully resolved: chronic shortage of low-denomination specie for everyday transactions. The 1831 issue falls within the first sustained federal copper series, authorized as the new republic struggled to assert monetary control over a patchwork of regional economies still operating on barter and worn colonial pieces.
KM#358a distinguishes the Mexico City strikes from concurrent issues at other assay offices — state-level variants exist, and attribution errors between them are not uncommon in general collections.