The Colombian mints — principally Bogotá and Popayán — supplied Spain's treasury with gold at a scale that financed nearly every military and diplomatic ambition of the mid-eighteenth century. Fernando VI, unlike his father Philip V or his successor Carlos III, pursued a policy of relative peace, and the gold flowing from New Granada during his reign moved into European reserve hoards rather than war chests. That relative stability is part of why dated examples from this short window survive in better condition than comparable issues from more turbulent reigns.
Popayán-struck pieces from this period show a characteristic softness in the cross quarters attributable to the regional assayers' die-cutting practice, not circulation wear — worth distinguishing when assessing a specific example.
The Colombian mints — principally Bogotá and Popayán — supplied Spain's treasury with gold at a scale that financed nearly every military and diplomatic ambition of the mid-eighteenth century. Fernando VI, unlike his father Philip V or his successor Carlos III, pursued a policy of relative peace, and the gold flowing from New Granada during his reign moved into European reserve hoards rather than war chests. That relative stability is part of why dated examples from this short window survive in better condition than comparable issues from more turbulent reigns.
Popayán-struck pieces from this period show a characteristic softness in the cross quarters attributable to the regional assayers' die-cutting practice, not circulation wear — worth distinguishing when assessing a specific example.