Accounting for the production of coins: The enactment and implementation of the Spanish Ordinances of the Mints, 1730

Abstract

Critical accounting history literature has been scant on the role played by accounting in government coinage policy and its implications for governmental discourse. For this reason, we have examined the implementation of the Spanish Ordinances of the Mints enacted in 1730 and its accounting implications. This analysis allows us to observe the influence of accounting procedures over the government’s monetary policy. We aim to contribute to the literature a new perspective on the role of accounting in governmental and state policies, far beyond the improvement of state income, and concerned more with ensuring the value of the coins and thereby improving commercial activity and the economy in general.