Item number: A1878

Year: AD 1792

Material: Silver

Size: 36.6 x 36.6 mm

Manufactured by: Mexico City Mint

Provenance: Da Chen Stamps and Coins Collection 2015

This is an 8-real silver coin issued in AD 1792 during the period of Spanish rule in Mexico. At the time, Mexico was Spain’s most significant overseas colony, and its silver production brought substantial wealth to Spain while also serving as a crucial medium of exchange in international trade.

The obverse of the coin features a right-facing portrait of King Charles IV of Spain, who was the reigning monarch at the time. The king is depicted wearing a laurel wreath on his head, along with a cloak and armour. Surrounding the portrait is a Latin inscription, “CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA” (Charles IV, by the Grace of God), along with the issuing year, “1781.”

The reverse of the coin features the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Spain. At its centre is a crowned quartered shield: the castle represents the Kingdom of Castile, the lion symbolises the Kingdom of León, and the pomegranate at the bottom signifies the Kingdom of Granada. At the centre of the shield, three fleurs-de-lis represent the Bourbon dynasty, which ruled Spain.

Flanking the shield are the Pillars of Hercules, symbolising the Strait of Gibraltar. A scroll draped across the pillars bears Spain’s national motto, “PLUS ULTRA” (“Further Beyond”). Encircling the coat of arms is a circular Latin inscription: “HISPAN ET IND REX Mo 8R F M.” The first part, “HISPAN ET IND REX,” translates to “King of Spain and the Indies,” referring to the monarch’s title. The latter part, “Mo 8R,” denotes the mint location (Mexico City) and the denomination (8 reales), while the suffix “FF” is the assayer’s mark of Forcada from the Mexico City Mint.

In AD 1521, following the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish Crown, having financed the expeditions to the Americas, established the colony centred on Mexico as the Viceroyalty of New Spain, a territory directly under royal authority. With Mexico City as its administrative centre, the viceroyalty extended from the present-day central and western United States down to the Isthmus of Central America. At its height, it even included the Philippine Islands on the far side of the Pacific. Silver produced in New Spain played a crucial role as a medium of exchange, linking European and Asian trade networks.

物件編號: A1878

年代: 公元 1792 年

材質: 銀

尺寸: 36.6 x 36.6 mm

製造地: 墨西哥造幣廠

來源: 大城郵幣社 2015

這是一枚公元1792年，彼時仍是西班牙統治下的墨西哥發行之8里爾銀幣，墨西哥是當時西班牙最為重要的海外殖民地，其出產的白銀替西班牙帶來大筆財富以及是當時國際貿易的重要媒介。

錢幣正面是時任西班牙國王的卡洛斯四世右側肖像，國王的頭上戴著桂冠花環，身著披風和盔甲。人像周圍以拉丁銘文標示「CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA」(卡洛斯四世 承蒙天恩) 和發行年份「1781」。

錢幣背面是西班牙王國的國徽，正中央是一個頂著王冠的四等份盾牌，城堡象徵卡斯提爾王國，獅子則是雷昂王國，最底下的石榴花是格拉納達王國，正中央的三朵百合花代表統治西班牙的波旁王室。盾牌左右兩側是象徵直布羅陀海峽的海格力斯之柱，柱子上面的捲軸有西班牙的國家格言「PLUS ULTRA」(通向更遠方)。

國徽外圍以環形銘文圍繞「HISPAN ET IND REX Mo 8R F M」，前半段是國王頭銜「西班牙暨印度國王」，後半段是鑄造地點和面額「墨西哥城 8里爾」，結尾「FM」是墨西哥造幣廠化驗師福卡達的戳記。

公元1521年，西班牙征服阿茲特克帝國之後，由於是西班牙王室負擔美洲的探險經費，因此以墨西哥為核心的殖民地成為直屬王室下轄的「新西班牙總督轄區」。新西班牙總督轄區以墨西哥城為中心，範圍涵蓋今日美國的中西部延綿至中美洲地峽外，遠在太平洋另一側的菲律賓群島一度也在其管轄內。新西班牙生產的白銀更是銜接歐洲和亞洲貿易的重要媒介。