Joy. writes: I found a small silver coin, about the size of a dime, it has Carolus IIII del gratia, 1793 on the front. The back has a coat of arms in the middle, with the words Hispan.ET. IND. M .F.M. There is a small symbol over the top of the first M after IND. The coin is in pretty good shape, the edges are a little worn, the lettering is still easily readable, except the last number of the date is blurry. Any information would be appreciated.
You have a Spain 1 1793 1 real, Madrid Mint, Assayers MF (Manuel de Lamas and Francisco Herrera) under King Charles IV. Coins similar to these, mostly with new world mint marks, circulated in the United States as legal tender until about 1858 and passed as 12 1/2 cents (called “a bit”). (Very worn pieces were accepted as 10 cents). Value range in average circulated condition $5 – $25.
