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10 Euro 8 Reales 1673 Potosí
| Issuer | Royal Mint of Madrid (Real Casa de la Moneda de Madrid) |
|---|---|
| Year | 2025 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Reverse description | The reverse reproduces, in high relief against a mirror-polished field, the reverse design of the historical 8 Reales macuquina struck at Potosí in 1673. The central motif depicts the Pillars of Hercules flanking a crowned globe, with the motto PLV SVL TRA (Plus Ultra) inscribed across the arms of the cross that divides the four quarters; the assayer's letters E and P, the date fragment 73, and the denomination mark 8 appear in the respective quadrants. The design is enclosed within a beaded inner circle and a rope-twist border replicating the original cob coinage style. The crowned Madrid mint mark (M) appears twice in the polished outer border, flanking the face value 10 EURO at the top, while the inscription JOYAS DEL MUSEO CASA DE LA MONEDA arcs around the lower border, identifying the series as part of the Jewels of the Casa de la Moneda Museum collection. |
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| Mintage | 2025 M - Proof - 4,000 |
| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a modern commemorative series from the Real Casa de la Moneda revisiting the colonial cob coinage — the macuquinas — struck at the Potosí mint during the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru. The original 1673 Potosí eight-reales was hand-struck using the cob method: a rough chunk of silver sheered from a bar, weighed, and hammered between dies with no concern for centering or shape. The result was intentionally crude by design standards, valued purely by weight.
Potosí's Cerro Rico — the mountain that fed the entire operation — had already peaked in silver output by the 1670s, though the mint remained the hemisphere's most productive for another generation.