Catalog
8 Reales - Carlos II
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Bogotá |
|---|---|
| Year | 1666-1703 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse lettering | CAROLVS·II·DEI·GRA VIII |
| Reverse description | Two crowned Pillars of Hercules rising from stylized waves at the base, with the motto PLVS VLTRA divided between the columns on a scroll or banner. The mint mark NR (Nuevo Reino, Santa Fe de Bogotá) and the assayer's initials appear in the field between or adjacent to the pillars, along with the date. The surrounding partial legend in Latin identifies the king as ruler of the Spains and the Indies. The reverse conforms to the standard macuña pillar-and-waves design mandated for all colonial 8 reales cobs of the period. |
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| Additional information |
Carlos II ascended the Spanish throne in 1665 at age four, and the cob coinage struck in his name at Bogotá across this nearly four-decade span reflects the chronic administrative disorder of his reign. The macuquina tradition — hand-struck on irregular planchets — meant quality control was essentially nonexistent, and the Bogotá mint was repeatedly investigated for assayer fraud during this period. Fineness and weight were routinely shaved, a practice that drove systematic testing programs across Spanish colonial mints.
Carlos died without an heir in 1700, triggering the War of the Spanish Succession. Bogotá cobs of his reign were still in active circulation well into the Bourbon era that followed.