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8 Reales - Ferdinand VII Countermark on Mexico 8 Reales
| Issuer | Philippines |
|---|---|
| Year | 1832-1834 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse of the host Mexican 8 Reales displays the crowned shield of the Spanish royal arms, quartered with castles and lions, flanked by the Pillars of Hercules with scrolls, all within a beaded border. The circular legend HISPAN · ET IND · REX reads around the periphery, accompanied by the Mexico City mint mark Mo, denomination 8R, and assayer initials F·F. The reverse field also bears several Chinese merchant chop marks consistent with extensive trade circulation in the Far East. |
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| Additional information |
The Philippines lacked a functioning mint until 1861, forcing colonial authorities to rely on imported Mexican silver as the primary circulating medium. To validate these foreign coins for local use and discourage re-export, the Manila assay office applied official countermarks — a process that was neither systematic nor swift, leaving considerable gaps in the documented record for specific countermark periods.
The 1832–1834 window corresponds to a tightening of countermarking controls under the Real Hacienda, prompted by the circulation of spurious and underweight pieces that had entered the islands through private trade channels.