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1 Escudo - Carlos II Colonial Cob Coinage
| Issuer | Lima Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1696-1701 |
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| Composition | Gold (.917) |
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| Obverse description | Central field dominated by a crenellated castle of Castile in high relief, struck in the cob (macuquina) tradition with characteristically irregular flan. The mint mark 'L' (Lima) appears to the left of the castle and the assayer's initial 'H' to the right, flanking the central device. The date '697' (for 1697) is struck below the castle in the lower field, with a single pellet above the castle in the upper field. The entire design is enclosed within a beaded inner border, typical of the colonial cob coinage of the Lima mint under Carlos II. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
Carlos II, the last Habsburg king of Spain, ruled in a state of near-continuous physical and mental incapacitation — his court physicians debated whether he was bewitched — yet the colonial mints kept striking gold throughout his reign. The Lima mint operated under considerable administrative pressure during these years, as the crown's financial demands on Peru intensified with each military entanglement in Europe.
Cob coinage from Lima in this final window of Carlos II's reign is complicated by assayer transitions. Identification often hinges on the assayer initial rather than the date, as full dates were rarely punched cleanly on these irregular flans.