4 Reales - Carlos II

Carlos II ascended the Spanish throne in 1665 at age four, and the Colombian mints operated throughout his reign under the perpetual dysfunction of a regency government in Madrid. The Santa Fe de Bogotá mint, which struck this type, was notorious in the late seventeenth century for the cob (macuquina) production method that defined New World silver of this period — planchets hand-cut from silver bars, weighed individually, then struck with hand-held dies under no mechanical consistency whatsoever.

Assayer initials on this issue are the primary tool for dating within the reign's span. The Hernández references 242–245 reflect distinct assayer periods rather than design differences.