Columinarios de Carlos -- 8 Reales Types 1760-1772
1762 Madrid

Owner Comments:

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. 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. Purchased raw from the April 2013 Aureo & Calicó Subastas, Barcelona, Lot #1465. Well struck and toned, this coin was originally graded at VF35. Regrading got it up to XF40 but I believe the lack of wear from circulation and the luster under the dark toning should garner AU50. (KM# 399.1, Cal. 875). Buen ejemplar. Rara. MBC+/MBC