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2 Escudos - Charles IV
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Potosí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1791 |
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| Shape | Round |
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|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The crowned arms of Castile and León occupy the central field, quartered with the emblems of Aragon, Sicily, Granada, and other Bourbon dynastic territories, all surmounted by the royal crown of Spain. The shield is encircled by a wreath of laurel and olive branches, with the denomination numerals 2 and S flanking the arms at either side. The mint mark B and assayer initials PR appear in the lower field below the shield. The surrounding Latin legend IN UTROQ FELIX AUSPICE DEO, meaning 'Happy in both worlds under the auspices of God', runs along the outer border, punctuated by decorative dots. |
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| Additional information |
Charles IV ascended the Spanish throne in 1788 following the death of his father Charles III, but coins bearing his name didn't reach Potosí until 1791 — the mint required official royal proclamation and updated dies before transitioning the coinage. Potosí sat at over 4,000 meters altitude in what is now Bolivia, and the Casa de Moneda there was the single most productive mint in the Americas for much of the colonial period, funded almost entirely by the silver mountain of Cerro Rico looming directly above it.
Gold issues from Potosí are considerably scarcer than the silver reales the mint was built to produce.