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2 Reales - Ferdinand VI
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Potosí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1747-1760 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 2 Reales |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Crowned pillars of Hercules flanked by the two hemispheres, a design emblematic of Spain's New World dominions, struck on an irregular cob planchet. The assayer's initial and denomination numeral '2' appear prominently in the field alongside the mint mark 'P' for Potosí. The date, where visible, is partially struck on the flan as is characteristic of macuquina coinage. The partial legend PLUS ULTRA arcs between the pillars, referencing the Spanish imperial motto. The overall strike is uneven, consistent with hammered cob production of the mid-eighteenth century. |
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| Additional information |
The Potosí mint — operating since 1572 at over 13,000 feet in what is now Bolivia — was the single largest silver producer in the colonial world, its output so vast that the phrase "worth a Potosí" entered the Spanish language as a synonym for unimaginable wealth. Ferdinand VI's reign saw continued pressure on the mint to transition from hand-struck cob coinage toward the milled coinage already being produced at Mexico City. This 2 Reales sits in that transitional window, when Potosí's assayers were still signing individual dies.
The assayer initial on the reverse is the primary dating tool within this short reign series.