10 Centavos Type 2 lettering 'LA UNION ES LA FUERZA'

Bolivia's silver coinage of this period was repeatedly destabilized by the War of the Pacific (1879–1884), which stripped the country of its entire Pacific coastline — and with it, the nitrate-rich territories that had underpinned government revenue. The Potosí mint, one of the oldest operating mints in the Western Hemisphere, continued striking small silver denominations through this fiscal wreckage largely to maintain confidence in a monetary system under serious strain.

The Type 2 lettering distinction on KM#158.3 reflects a die modification made at Potosí, differentiating it from earlier issues in the series. Collectors who ignore the lettering varieties routinely undervalue the type.