Authentic Spanish Cob Coins - 1/2 Reales - Potosi Mint - Mounted in custom 14K - Ear Ring set

Denomination: 1/2 Reales  

Mint: Potosi, Peru 

Assayer: "R" Alonso de Rincon, 1574-1676 - First Assayer

Reign: King Philip II

Weight: 1.28 grams

Artifact Number: Cob-22 

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Denomination: 1/2 Reales

Mint: Lima, Peru

Assayer: Likely "V", Jose de Vargas Y Flor or "R," Jose Rodriguez de Carassa

Reign: Ferdinand VI

Weight: 1.56 grams

Artifact Number: Cob-12

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Description: One Silver 1/2 Reales coin irregularly shaped and struck off-center (right) on Cross side. Features Jerusalem Cross with Castles and Lions semi-visible in quadrants. Incomplete pearl border. King Philip II's monogram across field on Obverse. Consistent with styles from this period. 

History: Early cob coins produced before the reign of King Philip III were well-rounded and neatly struck. They were produced at the New World Mint 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. A great deal of time and attention to detail was spent on hand-engraving steel dies used to strike each coin, with symbols significant to the geo-political landscape of that time period. The special attention to detail was costly due to the number of steel dies used to impress the symbols seen on Spanish cobs, and the time taken to engrave near perfect dies. The ability to create a nearly perfect coin was considered a sign of great respect for the sitting King. As Spain entered world conflicts, many of which required financial support, the quality of these hand-struck pieces lacked while the quantity grew, and coins were mass produced by hand until the invention of the Screw Press Mechanism in 1732. 

Cob-22 & Cob-12