Catalog
8 Reales
| Issuer | Republic of Peru |
|---|---|
| Year | 1825-1857 |
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| Value | 8 Reales |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | The Peruvian national arms displayed at center within a wreathed surround: a quartered shield bearing a vicuña passant in the upper-left canton, a cinchona tree in the upper-right canton, and a cornucopia in the lower portion, all enclosed within an ornate laurel and palm wreath tied at the base. The mint mark, assayer initials, and denomination appear as individual letters flanking the shield at upper right. The date is inscribed in the exergual area at the bottom of the field. The circular legend around the periphery reads REPUB. PERUANA, with all elements bounded by a prominent beaded border. |
|---|---|
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| Mint | Arequipa, Peru Lima, Peru (1565-date) Pasco, Peru |
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| Additional information |
Peru's 8 reales of this period were struck at the Cuzco and Lima mints under conditions that were, by any measure, chaotic. The newly independent republic inherited Spanish colonial minting infrastructure but lacked consistent bullion supply and skilled staff, producing notoriously irregular planchets throughout the 1820s and into the 1830s. Cuzco coins in particular are frequently encountered with weak areas and uneven surfaces — not from circulation, but from endemic planchet preparation problems at that facility.
The Lima mint's output stabilized considerably after 1840. Cuzco ceased silver coinage operations in 1838.