1/2 Real - Philip III

Philip III inherited the Potosí mint at its most productive and most corrupt moment. The assayer fraud scandal that would later explode under Philip IV had its roots in this reign — substandard silver was being passed into cobs systematically, with complicit assayers initialing pieces that failed purity requirements. Small denominations like this half real were the least scrutinized and therefore the most likely vehicles for debased metal entering circulation across the Viceroyalty of Peru.

The KM#6.2 designation separates this type from the transitional issues of the Philip II period by assayer mark.