Spanish Colonial Colombian Coins Part 2

Introduction to Spanish Colonial Colombian Coins Part 2

Page 3

1817 over 1817 (overdate) Bogota mint, 2 Reales.

Mintmark "NR" (Nuevo Reino), Assayer FJ (for Francisco Rodriguez and Josef Antonio Rodriguez).

Diameter: 26 mm.

This sharply struck coin is very rare in this high grade. The button holding the toga on the King's chest is sharp, as are the hair details and ear. On the reverse the Latin inscription "PLUS" and "ULTRA" (And More Beyond) on the pillars is sharp, as are the Lions, Castles, and Bourbon shield in the coat of arms.

The Latin legend reads Ferdinand VI but the portrait is of his father, King Charles IV. Ferdinand VI became King in 1808 but curiously all Colombian coins issued during his reign, right up to the last minted in 1822, show his father instead. For some reason the proper portrait tools were never sent from Spain. The Napoleonic Wars caused a breakdown in communication between the Latin American colonies and the homeland of Spain. This occurred in 1808 when Ferdinand and his father were taken prisoner by Napoleon and Napoleon's brother Joseph Bonaparte was declared King of Spain by the occupying French. The New World colonies maintained their initial recognition of Ferdinand VII as the rightful King of Spain, and all coins were issued in his name only. Here we have the unusual situation where the mother country issued coins portraying one ruler, Joseph Bonaparte (1808-1813), while Spain's colonies issued coins portraying whom they considered the rightful ruler - Ferdinand VII. This was to be short lived as the Spanish empire disintegrated in the early 1820's, leaving only the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico in Spanish hands.

The overdate is clearly visible in this closeup.

Spanish Colonial Colombian Coins Part 2: