Oldest coin made in the New World? I’m told it is the Carlos y Juana 4-maravedi minted in Santo Domingo dating between 1516 and 1556. This was explained to me by Weiss Collectables at the FUN show last week. Weiss sold me the example which is depicted here. I’m told the Spanish rulers at the time was Carlos and his mother was Juana (Johanna). The Juana logo is seen at the center of the coin & the crown is up at the top. The assayer’s mark is to the left of her logo & the 4-maravedi mark is to the right of her logo. I gleaned this information looking at other examples on the Internet. If you can add any more info about this coin please do! Weiss explained that these copper pieces pre-date the silver pieces of Santo Domingo. They were transported to places like Jamaica and Cuba where they often received either an anchor or key counter mark respectively. Some of the rarer pieces could have both the anchor & the key countermarks on them. These countermarked specimens are supposedly rare (& also counterfeited). Santo Domingo was founded by Columbus in 1496. According to Wikipedia, It is the oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in the Americas and it was the first seat of Spanish colonial rule in the New World. Therefore, it makes perfectly good sense that the first coin of the New World would be made there.
I'm sorry to say that the information provided to you by Mr. and Mrs. Weiss is incorrect. I'm doubly sorry because I know the Weiss's and have for quite a few years. I even made it a point to stop by and say Howdy at FUN. Anyway, the mint in Santo Domingo wasn't even approved until 2 royal edicts dated Nov. 3,1536 were issued. And it was 5 years later that the Santo Domingo mint received the final order to begin minting operations by royal edicts dated Mar. 14 and Apr. 15, 1541. These edicts directed them to start minting coins of copper and silver, but only for a period of 5 years. The coins like the one you picture were actually struck at the Seville mint in Spain as early as 1506 and up through 1511 and the coins were then shipped to Santo Domingo. Later, on May 10, 1531 the Spanish Crown again authorized another special mintage of coins from the Burgos mint in Spain, and these coins were then shipped to Santo Domingo. A minor point to be sure, but Johanna was the mother of Carlos, not his wife. Carlos was Charles V Holy Roman Emperor. But his mother served as his regent until he came of age. The first coins ever minted in the New World were minted at Mexico City in 1536.
Thank you Doug. Is there a mark on my coin that indicates it was made in Seville (and not in Santo Domingo)?
Your coin was indeed minted in Santo Domingo. It is from the second series of copper coinage that was issued 1542-1556. The first series, which was a much different design, was issued in 1541.
The first coins minted with legends specifically for circulation in the New World colonies were the copper maravedís. The start of local minting came ~30 years after maravedís had been in circulation in the Caribbean and beyond. Indeed for many years, the maravedís were minted in Spain and sent to Hispaniola, but they still carry the unique distinction of being "first coins of the New World", or "first currency issued for the Americas". They are an under-appreciated issue, to be sure.
Greetings, and thanks for the welcome. This forum has been a nice discovery. This particular thread was near the top of my Google search for "oldest coin new world", unrelated to FUN convention. I trust my plug for the humble S-P maravedís was on-topic.
the aztecs were using copper in the form of hoes before the conquest. thus, that should qualify as the oldest
