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Gold coinage of Charles IV

One escudo

The first type displayed the bust of Charles III, but in the name of Charles IV.

KM 119 1790KM 119 1790 reverse
KM-119 1E 1790 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22230)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1789 FM   
 1790 FM  

 

The next typ had upright assayers' initials and mint mark.

KM 120 1799KM 120 1799 reverse
KM-120 1E 1799 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22237)

Date Asssayer Comment
1792 FM  
1793 FM  
1794 FM  
1795 FM  
1796 FM  
1797 FM  
1798 FM  
1799 FM  
1800 FM  
1801 FM  
1801 FT  
1802 FT  
1803 FT  
1804 TH  
1805 TH  
1806 TH  
1807 TH  
1808  FM  

 

Two escudos

A first type, used for two years, had the bust of Charles III, but in the name of Charles IV.

KM 131 1790KM 131 1790 reverse
KM-131 2E 1790 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22229)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1789 FM   
 1790 FM  

 

KM 132 1799KM 132 1799 reverse
KM-132 2E 1799 Mo FM (Ponterio Baltimore auction, November 2015, lot 39371)

Upright Assayers Letters and Mint Mark 

Date Asssayer Comment
1791 FM Mo over
1792 FM  
1793 FM  
1793/2 FM  
1794 FM  
1795 FM  
1796 FM  
1797 FM  
1798 FM  
1799 FM  
1800 FM  
1801 FT  
1802 FT  
1803 FT  
1804 TH  
1804 TH/FT illustrated below
1805 TH  
1806 TH  
1807 TH  
1808 TH  

 

KM 132 1804KM 132 1804 reverse
KM-132 2E 1804 Mo TH/FT (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22236)

Counterfeits

KM 132 1802 counterfeitKM 132 1802 counterfeit reverse
counterfeit KM-132 2E 1802 Mo FT (Stack’s Bowers auction, 31 October 2023, lot 70160)

A somewhat crude contemporary forgery.

KM 132 1806 5KM 132 1806 5 reverse
counterfeit KM-132 2E 1806/5 Mo MF (Stack’s Bowers auction, 31 October 2023, lot 70161)

An unusual counterfeit apparently produced in cast and gilded platinum; typically, these gilt platinum counterfeits are found imitating issues of mainland Spain rather than of the Spanish colonies.

Four escudos

The first issue was a two-year transitional type with the bust of Charles III, but in the name of Charles IV (ordinal IV).

KM 143.1 1789KM 143.1 1789 reverse
KM-143.1 4E 1789 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 15 January 2022, lot 2090)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1789 FM   
 1790 FM  

 

A scarce short lived one year type struck with the bust of Charles III, but in the name of Charles IV with ordinal as IIII. 

KM 143.2 1790KM 143.2 1790 reverse
KM-143.2 4E 1790 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22232)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1790 FM  

 

KM 144 1804KM 144 1804 reverse
KM-144 4E 1804 Mo TH (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 15 January 2022, lot 2092)

Date Asssayer Comment
1791 FM  
1792 FM  
1793 FM  
1794 FM  
1794/3 FM illustrated below
1795 FM  
1796 FM  
1797 FM  
1798 FM  
1798/7 FM illustrated below
1799 FM  
1800 FM  
1801 FT  
1802 FT  
1803 FT  
1803/2 FT illustrated below
1804 TH  
1804/3 TH illustrated below
1805 TH  
1806 TH  
1807 TH  
1808 TH  
1808/0 TH illustrated below

  

KM 144 1794 3KM 144 1794 3 reverse
KM-144 4E 1794/3 Mo FM (Ponterio ANA auction, 13 August 2011, lot 21283)

KM 144 1798 7KM 144 1798 7 reverse
KM-144 4E 1798/7 Mo FM (Ponterio NYINC auction, 7 January 2011, lot 122)

KM 144 1803 2KM 144 1803 2 reverse
KM-144 4E 1803/2 Mo FT (Ponterio NYINC auction, 7 January 2011, lot 123)

KM 144 1804 3KM 144 1804 3 reverse
KM-144 4E 1804/3 Mo TH (Stack’s Bowers auction, 17 August 2024, lot 44417)

KM 144 1808 0KM 144 1808 0 reverse
KM-144 4E 1808/0 Mo TH (Stack’s Bowers auction, 17 August 2024, lot 44418)

Eight escudos

A scarce and popular short lived two year type struck with the bust of Charles III, but in the name of Charles IV.

KM 157 1789KM 157 1789 reverse
KM-157 8E 1789 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 22227)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1789 FM   
 1790 FM  

 

A rare one year type. Transitional bust of Charles III in the name of Charles IV with the king's ordinal as "IIII".

KM 158 1790KM 158 1790 reverse
KM-158 8E 1790 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 13 January 2018, lot 21168)

Date Asssayer Comment
 1790 FM  

 

KM 159 1792KM 159 1792 reverse
KM-159 8E 1792 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers ANA auction, August 2014, lot 1246)

Date Asssayer Comment
1791 FM  
1792 FM  
1793 FM  
1794 FM  
1795 FM  
1796 FM  
1795/5 FM illustrated below
1797 FM  
1797 FM  
1798 FM a rare and important legend die cutting error, with "EFLIX" instead of "FELIX" in the reverse legend (illustrated below)
1799 FM  
1800 FM  
1801 FM  
1801 FT  
1801/0 FT illustrated below
1802 FT  
1803 FT  
1804 TH  
1804/3 TH illustrated below
1805 TH  
1805/4 TH illustrated below
1806 TH  
1807 TH  Mo over Mo
1808 TH  

  

KM 159 1796 5KM 159 1796 5 reverse
KM-159 8E 1796/5 Mo FM (Stack’s Bowers auction, Summer 2022, lot 31101)

Displaying a very subtle overdate.

KM 159 1797 EFLIXKM 159 1797 EFLIX reverse
KM-159 8E 1797 Mo FM EFLIX (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 8 January 2016, lot 41237)

KM 159 1801 0KM 159 1801 0 reverse
KM-159 8E 1801/0 Mo FT (Stack’s Bowers ANA auction, 7 August 2012, lot 40263)

KM 159 1804 3KM 159 1804 3 reverse
KM-159 8E 1804/3 Mo TH (Stack’s Bowers NYINC auction, 19 January 2022, lot 7714)

KM 159 1805 4KM 159 1805 4 reverse
KM-159 8E 1805/4 Mo TH (Stack’s Bowers auction, 16 January 2021, lot 21067)

"The overdate, while subtle, is undeniable with slight traces of the base of the four, as well as its far left point, confirmed upon close inspection. Because of this, likely missed by the La Onza authors, making their usage of this exact coin in their plating of the regular 1805 date a somewhat whimsical footnote."