8 Reales - Carlos II

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.