2 Escudos - Charles IV

The Potosí mint's transition from Charles III to Charles IV coinage in 1789–1790 created one of the more administratively tangled episodes in colonial minting history. News of Charles III's death in December 1788 reached the Viceroyalty of Río de la Plata months late, and the mint continued striking in the old king's name well into 1789 before the changeover was authorized. The first Charles IV issues from Potosí therefore overlap in production date with late Charles III pieces, complicating attribution for this specific transitional window.

Potosí gold escudos from this era were produced in comparatively small quantities relative to the mint's silver output — the mountain's silver still dominated operations entirely.