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4 Reales - Louis I
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Potosí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1725-1727 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Variable alignment ↺ |
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| Obverse description | Central Jerusalem cross with expanded terminals divides the field into four quarters, each containing alternating castles and lions passant in the Spanish heraldic tradition. The denomination numeral appears above the cross, with the Potosí mint mark (P) to the left and the assayer's initial (Y) to the right. The last two digits of the date appear below the cross. The design is characteristic of the macuquina (cob) coinage tradition, struck on an irregularly shaped planchet with the devices only partially visible due to the nature of hammered production. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | 4 P Y 726 (Translation: 4 Reales Potosi Diego de Ybarbourou 1726) |
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| Additional information |
Louis I of Spain reigned for just seven months before dying of smallpox in August 1724, yet coins bearing his name continued to be struck at Potosí well into 1727 — a consequence of the communication lag between Madrid and the Viceroyalty of Peru. His father Philip V, having abdicated in favor of Louis, was forced to resume the throne upon his son's death, creating the unusual dynastic circumstance that produced two overlapping coinages from the same mint within the same short window.
The Potosí assayer initial present on a given specimen is the primary dating tool for this type.