CARLOS III

First bust type onzas from Mexico. The Mexican mint was undoubtedly the most important mint in all of Spanish America, always being the first to adopt reforms and innovate technologically. With Charles III's ascension to the throne, the question arose, as it did in other regions, whether to continue minting coins with the bust of Ferdinand VI or replace it with that of the new king, while waiting for the official dies to arrive from the peninsula. Both Lima and Mexico chose to create their own dies for the new monarch. The proclamation medals created by Alejo Bernabé Maduro in 1760 for various Mexican institutions (such as the University, the Consulate, etc.) are well known, and the royal busts used in them would serve as the model for the first onzas. There is a particular feature in some of these medal busts that was maintained in the first coin issues: the placement of the fleece of the Golden Fleece protruding from the portrait, almost becoming part of the legend. This design appeared on the onzas of 1760 and some from 1761. However, it seems that this innovation was not well received, and once again, based on another of Madero’s medal busts, a second model was created where the Golden Fleece appears in its traditional position, over the king’s chest. This design is seen on the last onzas of 1761. Here, the onzas of both types and dates are shown.