Catalog
2 Reales
| Issuer | Republic of Peru |
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| Year | 1825-1856 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | The obverse features the Peruvian national coat of arms at center, a quartered shield displaying a vicuña passant to the left in the upper-left canton, a cinchona tree in the upper-right canton, and a cornucopia in the base, all enclosed within an ornate shield. The shield is flanked by laurel and palm branches tied at the base, and surmounted by a civic wreath. The circular legend REPUB • PERUANA • reads along the upper periphery, with the mint monogram, denomination 2R, assayer initials, and date distributed around the lower field, all within a beaded border. |
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| Reverse lettering | FIRME Y FELIZ POR LA UNIÓN • (in shield) LI BER TAD (Translation: Strong and happy for the Union Liberty) |
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| Additional information |
Peru's early republican coinage was minted at two facilities — Lima and Cuzco — whose output differed markedly in quality and consistency. The Cuzco mint, operating with less experienced staff and irregular silver supply in the decades after independence, produced noticeably cruder strikes, and attribution between the two mints depends heavily on mint mark rather than style alone. The proliferation of KM subvarieties across this date range reflects genuine die and assayer variation, not collector hair-splitting.
The 1825 start date places the earliest pieces within months of the Battle of Ayacucho, which ended Spanish colonial rule in December 1824. The new republic needed circulating coinage immediately, and these 2 Reales were among the first coins struck under Peruvian authority.