Authentic Spanish Cob - Unknown Shipwreck - 1 Reales
$885
Denomination: 1 Reales
Mint: Potosi
Date: Not Visible
Reign: Philip III
Assayer: NV
Mount: Sterling Silver Ring
Description: Environmental wear. Obverse: Greek cross with lions and castles visible in three quadrants. Reverse: Hapsburg shield partially visible.
History: Spain’s monetary system was so well accepted throughout the world that it became the trade currency of the day. There were several public and private mints in Spain until Philip V, the first Bourbon King of Spain, decided in the 18th century to make minting coinage a State monopoly. The National mint in Potosi, Bolivia opened in 1572. It was from this mint that most of the silver coins shipped to the Old World were minted.
Early cob coins, produced before the Reign of King Phillip III were well-rounded and neatly struck. They were produced at the New World Mints in Lima, Potosi, Colombia, and Mexico City. When the mints first opened under the Spanish crown, the mint master took great pride in the quality and condition of each hand-struck coin. Coins of The Beachcomber Series do not have official salvager documentation proving their origin from a legal underwater shipwreck recovery. These coins may have been discovered on a beach near a wreck site, legally recovered by a salvager but now with lost documentation. Each coin is certified as an authentic artifact that has survived a shipwreck. The Beachcomber Series also allows for the creation of a database to further our understanding of shipwrecks and their contents, both locally and globally, providing an additional benefit for collectors and researchers alike."
