4 Escudos - Fernando VII Truncated bust

Fernando VII never set foot in Spanish America, yet his effigy was struck on gold coinage across the colonial mints throughout the most violent phase of the independence wars. By 1814, Lima was one of the few royalist strongholds still functioning reliably, while mints at Potosí and elsewhere changed hands repeatedly between patriot and crown forces. The truncated bust portrait used here replaced the draped bust type as part of a broader reform to standardize colonial coinage, though the practical effect on Lima's output was modest — the mint continued operating under royalist control until Simón Bolívar's forces secured the region.

Production ceased in 1821 with Peruvian independence, making the final-year strikes from this series the last gold coinage issued in Lima under the Spanish crown.