Spanish colonial real

Initially cut from a silver bar and hammer struck on a coin die, they were accurate in weight, though sometimes debased in precious metal content.

While the majority of columnarios were struck in Mexico, smaller mints existed in Guatemala; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; Potosí, Bolivia; and Colombia.

Before the United States Mint was in production, columnarios circulated, along with other coinage, in the US colonies, as legal tender until the middle of the 19th century.

Clipping was a problem with cobs as it was easy to shave small amounts of silver from their edges, and although this action was punishable by death, it was still a widespread occurrence.

The columnario, unlike the odd-shaped cob, is a round coin with milled edges which makes clipping detectable and less likely to occur.

Below are the waves of the sea that separate the worlds and on the left and right are columns (hence the name "columnarios") representing the Pillars of Hercules adorned with crowns and wrapped with a banner spelling "PLUS ULTRA", meaning "more beyond".

The obverse features the crown's name followed by "D G HISPAN ET IND REX", meaning, "By the Grace of God, King of Spain and the Indies."

Silver coin : 8 reales Fernando VI , Viceroyalty of New Spain - 1757 MM
Silver coin : 8 reales Carlos III , Viceroyalty of New Spain - 1778 FF chopmark
Silver coin : 8 reales Carlos IV , Viceroyalty of New Spain - 1808 chopmark
Silver coin : 8 reales Fernando VII , Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata - 1823 PTSPJ
Silver coin : 8 reales Carlos IV , Viceroyalty of Peru - 1800 [ 1 ]
A Spanish colonial silver coin, minted in Potosí in 1768, featuring the columns and the hemispheres