Description:
These are genuine Spanish silver coins that were minted during the reign of Kings Ferdinand VI and Charles III in the colonial South American mint of Potosi, Peru. Ferdinand VI was King of Spain from 1746 to 1759. His modernization of the navy enabled Spain's crucial victory in the 1741 Caribbean Battle of Cartagena de Indias against a massive British fleet, securing Spain’s dominance of Spanish America until the 19th century. Charles III, King of Spain from 1759 to 1788, continued Spain’s great rivalry with Britain and during his rule, Charles supported the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
With the untold riches mined in the Americas throughout the 16th to 18th centuries, the Spanish and their mighty galleon fleets were the premier supplier of gold and silver coins for the world. However, during this adventurous age, it was inevitable that large amounts of Spanish treasure would be lost on land and at sea due to pirates, storms and other unforeseen misfortunes.
The obverse side of these surviving 18th century treasure coins feature a Jerusalem cross with castles and lions in the quarters. The reverse shows the Pillars of Hercules with the date, mintmark and assayer. Spanish coins, known as "cobs", that circulated in this epic era were hand struck from dies and cut to weight. Minted in five denominations in silver, the largest was the eight reales, famous in the colonies and among pirates as a “Piece of Eight.” Cob coinage with their unusual shapes are all unique and each is a one-of-a-kind piece of history.
