4 Escudos Transitional coinage

Peru's 1863 gold coinage occupies an awkward transitional moment: the country was in the process of abandoning the Spanish colonial escudo system in favor of a decimal peso structure, and this 4 escudos piece was among the last gasps of the old denominational order. The decimal law had already passed, yet the Lima mint continued striking escudo-denominated gold through 1863 while the new infrastructure was being established.

KM#184 is genuinely scarce. Surviving examples turn up infrequently at auction, and many that do show heavy contact from what appears to have been active use during the monetary transition period.