Here's a coin that I've owned for while, since November 1990. It is a dated 8 reales cob of Potosi, 1617, that was salvaged from the Atocha. There are numerous coins from this salvage, sold with certificates from Mel Fisher. The appearance of these coins is one of being very bright, almost polished. This is due to the electrolysis that was used to strip away the encrusted deposits covering these coins. While it is a very effective method, and rather quick too, it does remove some of the coin's surface. The result, more often than not, is a very bright and well corroded coin. This coin underwent the electrolysis process as well. However, due to the way this coin was preserved on the ocean floor, much of the original detail still remains, including a bold date in the third quadrant on the reverse. Over the years this cob has been stored in a mania envelope, so some "color" has occurred. Still, the bright surfaces still remain, albeit somewhat more muted. The location of the date in the third quadrant, instead of the more normal fourth quadrant, suggests that this coin is one of the earlier dated emissions from this mint. 27.2 grams As a coin from the Potosi mint, the quality is definitely better than average, in terms of centering and detail. Coin production during this part of Philip III's reign was low in terms of quality control; speed of coin production seemed to be the priority. These coins, produced in primitive and often brutal conditions, are characterized with poorly prepared flans, off-center and double strikes (as can be seen on the coin's reverse), blundered legends and uneven strikes (often caused by the irregular flan surfaces). This coin was sold with an reference collection number, RC 208. However, there was no certificate, which is fine by me; I always buy based on the coin, not the certificate or slab. Please post any coins you wish. Thanks
Nice coin @robinjojo. Just wondering why the attribution is from the Potosi mint, in the Bolivian Tin Belt (Cerro Rico de Potosí) but on the obverse there is an "M" which stands for Mexico. Maybe the silver came from Potosi, but the "M" was used to differentiate coins that were minted in Mexico, as is explained here and I quote: "....posteriormente surgieron los reales o pesos de a ocho, los cuales estaban compuestos de 27.5 gramos de plata con 93% de pureza, los cuales eran equivalentes a 1 tomín de peso de tepuzque o de castellana. Esta moneda posteriormente fue producida en Perú, así que los españoles acuñaban con una “M” a las monedas producidas en México." https://plumasatomicas.com/noticias/economia/peso-primer-moneda-uso-global-historia/
If you look just above the M on the obverse, you'll see a P, a little weakly struck. The P is for Potosi. The Mexico City mint used a small o over M as its mint mark from colonial times to the present day, as illustrated below: Philip III Mexico City Assayer F 27.4 grams
Its a cude cast but cool piece . . . I know that they still sell item(s) in limited quantities But the majority of the item(s) are displayed from what i have researched over the year(s) . From what i read , it was in legal battle(s) for year(s) but i think they finally won the battle some time ago . . .
What are the reasons that makes you think the coin has been cast? I've been collecting these coin for over thirty years, and I don't see any reason to think this coin has been cast, absolutely no reason whatsoever.
https://moneditis.com/2021/06/25/macuquinas-potosi-naufragio-de-la-capitana/ https://moneditis.files.wordpress.com/2021/06/las_macuquinas_monedas_coloniales.pdf
Another excellent reference, though quite dated, are the two volume set by Gabriel Calbeto, published in 1970. They are available from time to time.
