4 Escudos - Fernando VI

Fernando VI's reign saw the Mexico City Mint still producing cob-style gold — the macuquina coinage — before the transition to milled round pieces was completed for gold denominations. The 4 escudos in particular occupies an awkward production window: the mint was actively modernizing under royal pressure from Madrid, and the crudely struck cob format was already considered embarrassing by Bourbon reformers who saw the irregular pieces as evidence of colonial inefficiency.

The 1752–1756 date range corresponds almost exactly to the final years of macuquina gold production at Mexico City, making these among the last cob-format 4 escudos struck there before fully milled coinage took over.