Charles II Real

The most intriguing fact about the Charles II Real is that it often bore the likeness of a king who, at the start of his reign in 1665, was barely out of diapers—yet this silver coin helped prop up Spain's faltering empire.

Minted from American silver, these reales were produced in places like Madrid and Mexico City, with designs that included the Habsburg arms and the young monarch's bust, sometimes crudely executed due to worn dies. Variations in weight and purity crept in over the years, reflecting the era's economic woes, though records of exact production are spotty—many were likely lost in bureaucratic muddles.

We don't know the precise mintage for most years, as colonial archives suffered from fires and neglect. If you handle one, note the edge reeding, a simple anti-clipping measure that rarely worked as intended.

Planchets were sometimes recycled from older coins, a practical if unromantic reuse.