Spanish Milled Coinage

ONE REAL

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1R  1733   S-PA             Philip V new plate "Cross" real   (Seville, Spain)

Obverse:  [six petal rosette] PHILIPPUS [rosette] V [rosette] D [rosette] G [rosette]
Reverse:  HISPANIARUM [rosette] REX [rosette] 1733 [rosette]

Weight:  41.5 g   (2.69 grams)                  Diameter:  20.3 mm

Comments:  This is a "new plate" coin minted in Spain. New plate refers to the 20% reduction in the value of reals minted in Spain in relation to the reales minted in colonial Spanish America. This variety of coin was frequently called a "cross" real in the British colonies to distinguish it from the more valuable "pillar" real minted in the Americas.

On the obverse to the left of the crowned Hapsburg arms of Spain there reads, from top to bottom: . R [cinquefoil] S . and to the right: . I P A . ; this is read across as R I, for the denomination of one real. The lower letter on the left is the mintmark for Seville and two initials on the right P A, are the initials of the assayers Pedro Remigo Gordillo and Antonio Montero whoworked together from 1731-36 (see, Pellicer i Bru, Glosario, pp. 48 and 171).

Provenance:  Donated to Notre Dame in 1887 as part of a 2,300 item coin collection (see: The Notre Dame Scholastic,   vol. 21 (September 1887) 45.

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1R  1735   Mo-MF             Philip V pillar coinage   (Mexico City)

Obverse:  PHILIP · V · D · G · HISPAN · ETIND · REX [six petal rosette]
Reverse:  VTRAQUE VNUM / [rosette] Mo [rosette] 1735 [rosette] Mo [rosette]

Weight:  48.0 g   (3.11 grams)                  Diameter:  20.4 mm

Comments:  This is an exampe of the first milled or "pillar" coinage. On the obverse to the left of the crowned Spanish arms there is . M F representing the initials of the assayers Manual de Leon and Francisco de la Peña y Flores who worked together 1731-1754 (see, Pellicer i Bru, Glosario, pp. 40 and 154). To the right of the arms is the denomination I with a cinquefoil above and below. On the reverse Mo is the mintmark for Mexico City. Also note the peculiar form of the Spanish number 5 in the date, sometimes confused with a number 2 or a 9 by present day collectors (See, Neil S. Utberg, The Coins of Colonial Mexico p. 39).

Provenance:  Donated to Notre Dame in 1887 as part of a 2,300 item coin collection (see: The Notre Dame Scholastic,   vol. 21 (September 1887) 45.

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1R  1746   Mo-M             Philip V pillar coinage   (Mexico City)

Obverse:   · PHS · V · D · G · HISP · ETIND · R ·
Reverse:  VTRA  QUE  VNUM / · Mo · 1746 · M ·

Weight:  49.7 g   (3.22 grams)                  Diameter:  20.6 mm

Comments:  This is an exampe of the first milled or "pillar" coinage. On the obverse to the left of crowned Spanish arms is an R with a rosette above and below while to the right is a I with a rosette above and below; these indicate the denomination, 1 real. On the reverse, to the left of the date is the mintmark Mo for Mexico City. To the right of the date is the initial M for the assayer, Manuel de León who used that initial alone from 1742-63 (see Pellicer i Bru, Glosario, pp. 40 and 150). Note the various changes, as in the legend and assayer mark location, from the pillar one real of 1735 listed above.

Provenance:  From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.

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1R  177[-]               Charles III portrait coinage   (2R cut in half)

Obverse:  CAROLUS · III    [portion cut off] · 177[?] ·
Reverse:  HISPAN · ET IND · R [cut off]

Weight:  44.3 g   (2.87 grams)                  Diameter:  27.5 mm

Comments:  This is an example of the "portrait" or "modified pillar" design two reales that has been cut in half. This example has been cut from 11:00 o'clock to 4:00 o'clock. This portion has most of the date but does not include the mintmark or assayers' initials.

Provenance:  Donated to Notre Dame in 1887 as part of a 2,300 item coin collection (see: The Notre Dame Scholastic,   vol. 21 (September 1887) 45.

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1R  1791   So-DA             Charles IV portrait coinage   (Santiago, Chile)

Obverse:  CAROLUS · IIII ·     DEI · GRATIA · 1791 ·
Reverse:   · HISPAN · ET  IND · REX · So ·1 R · D · A ·

Weight:  48.3 g   (3.13 grams)                  Diameter:  21.6 mm

Comments:  This is an example of the "portrait" or "modified pillar" design. In the reverse legend, the So is the mintmark for Santiago, Chile. This is followd by '1R' which indicates the denomination of one real. The D and the A are the initials of the assayers, Domingo de Eizaguirre and Agustín de Infante y Prada who worked together from 1772-1799 or 1800 (see Pellicer i Bru, Glosario, pp. 46 and 93).

Charles IV ascended to the throne following the death of Charles III on December 14, 1788 and reigned until 1808. However, due to the problems relating to the production and transportation of new dies for the colonial mints an edict of December 24, 1788 allowed the American mints to continue producing coins using dies with the portrait of Charles III but changing the name to Charles IIII by the addition of an extra roman numeral I. The present example is from the last year such coins were produced in Santiago. During 1791 the new dies arrived and production began with the new portrait and the name Charles IV. The reverse shows the modified pillar design. Also, on the reverse there are some die breaks at the ET, also the I of IND seems to have been repunched on this die.

Provenance:  From the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Collection.

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1R  1794   S-CN             Charles IV new plate "Head" real   (Seville, Spain)

Obverse:  CAROLUS     IIII · DEI · G ·     · 1794 ·
Reverse:  HISPANIARUM · REX ·

Weight:  42.3 g   (2.74 grams)                  Diameter:  20.4 mm

Comments:  This is a "new plate" coin minted in Spain. New plate refers to the 20% reduction in the value of reals minted in Spain in relation to the reales minted in colonial Spanish America. This variety of coin was frequently called a "head" real in the British colonies to distinguish it from the more valuable "portrait or modified pillar" real minted in the Americas. The more valuable American coin included the modified pillar reverse with the crowned Spanish arms while the Spanish new plate coin displayed only the crowned Spanish arms.

On the reverse to the left of the crowned Spanish arms is an R while to the right a hole has obliterated the numeral I, for the denomination Real 1. Below the R on the left is the mintmark S for Seville. On the right of the shield below the hole are the initials CN for the assayers Carlos Tiburcio de Roxas and Nicolás Lamas who worked together 1791-1810 and 1812 (see Pellicer i Bru, Glosario, pp. 49 and 90). According to Thomas Kays holed coins were like modern traveller's checks. A traveller would sew or pin several of these coins into the lining or inside of their jacket and use them as needed.

Provenance:  Donated to Notre Dame in 1887 as part of a 2,300 item coin collection (see: The Notre Dame Scholastic,   vol. 21 (September 1887) 45.

Spanish Milled Coins: p.1	Section Contents	Spanish Milled Coins: p.3