Catalog
1 Real - Felipe IV
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Santa Fe de Bogotá |
|---|---|
| Year | 1651-1653 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | Central monogram comprising the crowned letters 'PHIL' (Philip) with the assayer's initial 'R' below, flanked by the two crowned Pillars of Hercules representing the Strait of Gibraltar, each pillar wrapped with a banner bearing the motto 'PLUS VLTRA'. Wavy lines beneath the central device allude to the sea between the Old and New Worlds. A dotted inner circle and partial circumferential legend surround the design, though the irregular cob flan causes much of the legend to be off-flan. |
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| Mint | Casa de Moneda de Santa Fe de Bogotá |
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| Additional information |
The Santa Fe de Bogotá mint was established in 1620, making it one of the earliest operating mints in New Granada. By Felipe IV's reign the mint was producing cob coinage — macuquinas — struck by hand on irregular planchets cut from silver bars, which explains the characteristically uneven shapes that define the type. The silver itself came largely from the mines of the Nuevo Reino de Granada rather than the more famous Peruvian sources.
Felipe IV's finances were perpetually strained by the Thirty Years' War and ongoing conflicts with the Dutch and French. Colonial mints like Santa Fe operated under intense pressure to remit silver to the Crown, and quality control suffered accordingly.