Carlist 2 Reales

These coins were struck using silver from melted-down church ornaments and household silverware, as the Carlists scrambled for resources amid their rebellions.

That improvisation showed in the coins' rough edges and inconsistent weights, hallmarks of wartime minting in hidden forges across northern Spain. Dates ranged from 1833 to 1876, tied to the various Carlist uprisings, but exact mintages remain murky—many records vanished in the chaos or later fires.

Variations exist, like those with Carlos V's portrait versus later issues for his heirs. Some pieces turned up in unlikely places, smuggled or lost in battle. As for values, they fluctuate; a well-preserved 1840s example might fetch a modest sum, but fakes abound.

Proving authenticity can be a bore.