Guatemala Silver Quartilo Flip Ring 1700-1800 Size 6

$158.00

Quantity

Beautifully crafted sterling silver flip ring with authentic ancient coin by California jeweler Erez Epshtein. The design allows you to display either side of the ring. Size 6

Denomination: Colonial Quartillo (1/4 Real) Date: 1700-1800+

Description: Obverse : Castle with mint mark L (Lima) at left and ¼ at right. Reverse : Rampant Lion.

This specimen, the smallest silver coin struck in colonial times, is an example of a type struck 1700's-1800's thru the reigns of Charles IV and Ferdinand VII. However, the ruler's name is not marked on the coin.

Spanish colonization in the 15th century carried on until Spanish American independencies in the 19th. This great realm was divided into the Viceroyalty of New Spain (capital: Mexico City), which came to include all Spanish territory north of Panama, the West Indies, Venezuela, and the Philippines, and the Viceroyalty of Peru (capital: Lima), which included Panama and all Spanish territory in South America except Venezuela. The monetary system of Spanish America, originally identical to that of Spain, soon diverged and took on a distinctive character of its own. The first cuarto (1/4 real) was struck at Mexico City in 1700's. It is not recorded if this coin circulated in the United States, but if so, it would have had a face value of 3-1/8 cents.