1 Real - Carlos IV

Carlos IV was proclaimed king in December 1788, but news traveled slowly across the Atlantic. The Potosí mint continued striking coins in his name only after official notification arrived in Upper Peru — creating a transitional window where pieces dated 1789 carry particular documentary interest, as the mint superintendent navigated the changeover from Carlos III types without centralized instruction.

Potosí sits at over 4,000 meters elevation, and chronic labor shortages in the mita system plagued production quality throughout this period. The 1791 close of this type coincides with broader reforms to the colonial minting apparatus.