Catalog
1 Quarto - Carlos III
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1771-1783 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | KM#2 |
| Obverse description | Central field bears the crowned quartered coat of arms of Castile and León, surmounted by a royal crown. The shield is flanked on either side by elongated six-pointed stars. The surrounding legend reads CAR · III D · G · HISP · ET IND · R ·, invoking Carlos III as King of Spain and the Indies by the grace of God. The design is rendered in low relief typical of colonial copper coinage struck at the Manila Mint. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
These were struck in Manila under royal decree as the Philippines' first officially sanctioned copper coinage, intended to displace the crude cob-style macuquina silver that had long dominated small transactions. The Spanish crown had repeatedly attempted to introduce proper copper currency into its Pacific colonies throughout the eighteenth century, with earlier efforts collapsing due to counterfeiting and local resistance to token-value coins.
The Manila mint operated intermittently and under chronic material shortages, which accounts for the wide variation in planchet quality across the type's twelve-year production window.