World Gold - 1793M 2 Escudos Spain, MF NGC MS61

Here is an attractive gold piece from the Spanish empire to add to your collection. Please take a close look at the honey-golden images provided by AUCM of this beauty. NGC has graded 2 as MS61 with a mere 1 finer. This coin was struck at the Royal Mint at Madrid of 0.8750 fineness pure gold.

The obverse presents the draped and cuirassed bust of Charles IV facing to the right. The legend reads: CAROL·IIII·D·G· HISP·ET IND·R· and the date 1793 is below.  The reverse displays the crowned arms of Spain in the Order of the Golden Fleece chain. The legend reads: IN·UTROQ·FELIX· ·AUSPICE·DEO ·M· ·MF· and the crowned M is the mintmark for Madrid. KM-435.1, Fr-296, Cal-322.

Portrait of Charles IV by Francisco Goya, 1789. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

The initials MF stand for the two assayers, Manual de Leon and Francisco Herrera, who worked together in Madrid from 1788 to 1802. This fine issue was engraved by Pedro González de Sepúlveda, who was a Spanish engraver and director of the Segovia Mint and of the Royal Mint of Spain and the Indies. He was also the director of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando and of the School of Engraving of Madrid.