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2 Reales - Carlos I
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de México |
|---|---|
| Year | 1542-1555 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Plain |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | ND (1542-1555) G-M - - ND (1542-1555) G-MO - - ND (1542-1555) L-M - - ND (1542-1555) L-Mo - - ND (1542-1555) M-A - - ND (1542-1555) M-A - - ND (1542-1555) M-G - - ND (1542-1555) M-L - - ND (1542-1555) M-O - - ND (1542-1555) M-R - - ND (1542-1555) Mo-G - - ND (1542-1555) Mo-L - - ND (1542-1555) Mo-L/S - - ND (1542-1555) Mo-O - - ND (1542-1555) Mo-S - - ND (1542-1555) O-M - - ND (1542-1555) O-Mo - - ND (1542-1555) O/L-Mo - - ND (1542-1555) oMo-oGo - - ND (1542-1555) R-M - - ND (1542-1555) S-M - - |
| Additional information |
These cob-style pieces — macuquinas — were struck at the Mexico City mint, the first operating mint in the Americas, which Carlos I authorized in 1535. Production was crude by design: silver was cast into bars, cut to approximate weight, and hammer-struck with no concern for centering or shape. The crown assayed the silver content rigorously, but the form was irrelevant.
Counterfeiting and short-weight fraud were persistent problems in this period. A royal decree of 1550 mandated that assayers mark each piece with their personal initial, making individual accountability traceable — the assayer's mark on surviving examples from this window is often the only reliable dating tool available.