8 Reales - Fernando VI

Fernando VI never visited the Americas, yet the Mexico City mint struck his effigy coinage in greater volume than any other in the Spanish colonial system during his reign. The 8 reales of this period functioned as the primary unit of international trade — absorbed by British merchants, Chinese traders, and the nascent banking systems of colonial North America with equal appetite. The mint mark Mo and assayer initials stamped into these pieces allow attribution down to individual die cutters, a forensic record that colonial administrators used to prosecute fraud.

Fernando died in 1759 after a prolonged mental collapse following his wife's death, and production of his type at Mexico City continued briefly into 1760 before the dies were retired for Carlos III.