1 Scudo Reverse Trial

Trial pieces for Bolivian scudo coinage of the 1850s were produced as reverse die tests, typically struck in lead to check relief, depth, and die alignment before committing to silver production runs. Bolivia's mint at Potosí — operating continuously since the colonial era — used soft-metal trials as a routine quality check, though surviving examples are rarely documented with precision in contemporary mint records.

The 1855 date falls within a turbulent period of Bolivian monetary reform as the republic struggled to standardize coinage against widespread counterfeiting of fractional silver. Most lead trials from Potosí were melted or discarded; those that survived did so almost entirely outside official channels.