Question About Colonial Spanish Coppers

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Author	Replies: 4 / Views: 1,039
Archraz Pillar of the Community United States 3499 Posts	Posted 06/17/2008 10:58 pm I know that this topic has been discussed a bit in other posts, but I am just wondering if a lot of copper coins were minted in the Spanish colonies. For instance, KM 63 & KM 64 of Mexico are examples of such coins. My main question is if these were more or less the extent of colonial coppers or if cobb maravedis were in fact minted during the 17th and 18th centuries. While there are not listings for such coins in Krause, it just seems odd that these coins are at times unearthed in Mexico and the US since they would otherwise have been produced in Spain. Any info or opinions would be appreciated! Edited by Archraz 06/17/2008 10:59 pm Report this Post to the Staff

Sap Moderator Australia 16816 Posts	Posted 06/18/2008 09:47 am I suspect the main reason the American mints didn't make coppers is that the Spanish-American colonies didn't have copper mines, they had silver and gold mines,with not enough copper produced from them to make it worthwhile. They'd have had to import the raw copper ingots from Europe. And if there going to shop copper across the Atlantic, they may as well ship it as coin already struck, rather than raw metal. Just as cheap to ship, and easier to distribute when it arrived. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Archraz Pillar of the Community United States 3499 Posts	Posted 06/20/2008 1:50 pm Sap- hmm good point. Thanks for the info! Report this Post to the Staff
Buzzard Valued Member United States 156 Posts	Posted 06/21/2008 01:16 am I don't know about other Spanish colonies, but copper coins were not welcome in Mexico. "Under Spanish rule coinage in copper had been the exception. An early issue of copper two and four maravedises, struck in the 1540's and 1550's, was badly received. So little public confidence was shown in the base metal that it was not until 1814 that the colonial government again turned to striking copper." - T. V. Buttrey, A Guide Book of Mexican Coins Report this Post to the Staff
Archraz Pillar of the Community United States 3499 Posts	Posted 06/21/2008 01:33 am Buzzard- thanks for that info! That actually explains a lot. Report this Post to the Staff
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