Catalog
2 Escudos - Felipe V
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de México (Mexico City Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1732-1747 |
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| Currency | Real (1535-1897) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | Crowned quartered royal arms of Castile and León at center, displaying the castles of Castile and the lions of León in the four quadrants, with the granada (pomegranate) of Granada in base, all within an ornamental shield. The mint mark Mo appears to the left of the shield and the assayer initials MF below, with the denomination numeral 2 to the right. The circular legend INITIUM SAPIENTIAE TIMOR DOMINI surrounds the central device, separated by ornamental stops. |
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| Additional information |
The 1732 date marks a turning point in New World coinage: that year, the Mexico City Mint introduced the first machine-struck gold coins in the Americas, ending decades of the crude hand-struck "cob" (macuquina) coinage that had dominated colonial circulation. These milled issues — called columnarios for their design — were specifically intended to restore confidence in Spanish colonial gold after chronic complaints from European merchants about the irregularity and suspected short-weight of cob coinage.
Felipe V ordered the modernization partly in response to a 1728 monetary reform tightening crown oversight of New World mints.