4 Reale, Mexico City, 1542 - 1572 Obverse

Earliest coinage of the New World, these pieces were struck under Spanish colonial authority in Mexico City. Interestingly, these pieces are more round than the irregular shaped coins of 100 years later. During these years production was more closely supervised by Spanish craftsmen with knowledge of European techniques. Round coins would appear 150-200 years later with the famed "Spanish Milled Dollars" of the American colonial period.

 

More coin history at www.valuable-coin-stories.com.

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