• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Real de a Ocho de Dos Mundos

0
jgenn

2,544 views

1762 Eight Reales from the Old World and New World

I have a batch of 8 reales in for grading so while I wait on the results, I thought I would journal about the one that I find the most interesting, a 1762 Spanish 8 reales from Madrid.

In the mid 1700's, the Spanish mints did not turn out many of the larger silver coins. Production of the 8 reales ended in 1736 and did not appear regularly until 1772, with the exception of the 1762 mintage. Charles III ascended to the throne near the end of 1759 and in 1761 made the first change to the Spanish coat of arms since 1700. Most notable is the addition of arms of the Italian houses of Farnese and Medici -- Charles had ruled the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily since 1734. The 8 reales and 8 escudos coins of 1762 feature the new coat of arms on their obverse. This design would not appear again on reales coins and only on the reverse of the escudos starting in 1771.

The coat of arms that Charles III introduced in 1761 is a testament to the great breadth of Spanish influence in Europe at the time. You can refer to the upper left image in my attached photo as I describe the design. Starting in the upper left and working clockwise we have the arms of Aragon, a former confederation of kingdoms in Eastern Spain and Italy; Aragon-Sicily, a blend of the Hohenstaufen eagle and the ruling Aragonese arms; Austria; Burgundy modern (framed fleurs-de-lis of the House of Valois-Burgundy); the balls of the House of Medici at 3 O'clock; the lion of the Duchy of Brabant (Netherlands); the eagle of Tyrol (Austria/Italy); the lion of Flanders (Belgium); Burgundy ancient (House of Burgundy); and at 9 O'clock, the six fleur-de-lis of the House of Farnese (Italy). In the center are the quartered arms of Castile (castle) and León (lion) with the pomegranate of Granada at the bottom and the three fleur-de-lis of Anjou (France) in the center. The reverse design presents just the arms of Castile and León.

In my photo composite, I've included my 1762 8 reales from Mexico as a point of reference for the appearance of Spanish coinage minted in the new world. The obverse maintains the abbreviated arms that had been the standard for the milled coinage of the Spanish colonies since 1732. The reverse features a powerful image of global domination, the crowned Pillars of Hercules wrapped with the national motto of Spain "PLUS ULTRA" (further beyond) framing a representation of the old and new worlds floating on the waters between them surmounted by the Spanish crown. The legend "VTRAQUE VNUM" is for the Latin "Ultra Que Unum", "both are one", again asserting the Spanish union of both worlds into one empire. The colonial coins were minted in vaster quantities and traveled much farther than the coins minted in Spain -- it makes sense that they would carry the stronger message.

The 1762 from Madrid is well struck, nicely toned and seems free of surface abrasions. I'm hoping it grades at least as well as its companion from Mexico.

~jack

14248.jpg.0890137d75531c1cb796b88fe20bbbe3.jpg

To see old comments for this Journal entry, click here. New comments can be added below.

0



0 Comments


Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now