FERDINAND VII

This mint was established to issue provisional coinage by decree on October 26, 1810, with production beginning on November 14 of that year. The design features the Bufa Hill, beneath which appears the inscription L.V.O. (Labor Vincit Omnia – “Work conquers all”), while the legend 'Provisional Coin of Zacatecas' runs along the edge. The reverse retained the traditional royal coat of arms. The royalist forces lost the city to insurgents under General Ignacio López Rayón in April 1811. The rebels continued using the previous dies, even increasing production since they offered better payments than the royalists for anyone bringing metal to mint. However, royalist forces under General Félix Calleja recaptured the city shortly thereafter (May), and new coinage was ordered. To clearly distinguish insurgent issues from royalist ones, the previous dies were to be destroyed, and from that point until 1822, the coins would bear the king’s bust. Nonetheless, hybrid coins exist combining the older Bufa Hill type with the new royal bust. Manuel Ramos served as the first director and engraver of the mint from 1810 to 1820. What began as provisional coinage was officially authorised for circulation throughout the Viceroyalty on November 29, 1812, due to its high metallic content. The counterstamp in question is rectangular, framed with a rim of arrow points, and bears the word UTIL in the centre. This counterstamp typically appears on colonial coins that also carry insurgent counterstamps, such as those of the Supreme National Governing Junta, the Congress of Chilpancingo, or the the State of Tlalpujahua. This suggests it may have been imposed by royalist authorities to revalidate coins bearing insurgent counterstamps for continued circulation in territories under their control. In this specific case, it may have served to legitimise coins minted in Zacatecas with the earlier Bufa Hill design, which had been used by both royalist and insurgent forces until they were eventually replaced by the royal bust type.