Ferdinand VII 4 Reales

These 4 Reales coins from Ferdinand VII's era were often struck on planchets recycled from melted Spanish reales, a makeshift fix amid the shortages of the independence wars.

That recycling wasn't just thrift; it meant some coins carried faint traces of older designs, like ghosts from Spain's colonial heyday. Minted in places like Mexico City between 1808 and 1821, they served as currency in a fracturing empire. The obverse typically showed the king's bust, while the reverse featured a crowned shield—standard fare for the time.

We don't know exact mintages; records from that period are patchy at best. What we do have are the coins themselves, battered but honest survivors.

Plenty of fakes circulate, which is why I always check the edge reeding first.