2 Reales - Carlos I

Among the earliest coins struck in the Western Hemisphere, this issue comes from the Mexico City mint's first years of operation — the Casa de Moneda having been formally established by royal decree in 1535. Production during this window was crude by any measure, with hand-cut blanks of inconsistent shape fed through screw presses operated by enslaved and coerced labor. Carlos I himself never saw the mint; the authorization came from Spain while he was managing the Hapsburg empire from across the Atlantic.

Macuquino fabric — the characteristic cob-cut planchet — means no two pieces from this run are alike in outline.