Description:
These are Spanish silver coins that were minted during the reigns of King Philip IV and Philip V. The coin shown to the right was minted in 1627 Madrid, Spain and the coin on the left was minted in 1704 Lima, Peru. The obverse sides feature a cross with lions and castles. The reverse shows the dates Latin monograms of Philip IV (1627) and Philip V (1704).
King Philip IV was from the House of Habsburg and Philip V was the first King of Spain from the House of Bourbon. They both ruled a global empire with Spanish territories and colonies in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceana.
With the discovery of untold riches that were 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. With these vast riches, it was inevitable that the Golden Age of Piracy (1650-1725) in the New World would ensue. Buccaneers from Tortuga and pirates throughout the Caribbean raided ships and settlements in search of treasure.
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 8 reales, famous in the colonies and among pirates as a “piece of eight.” The other denominations were 4 reales, 2 reales, 1 real and 1/2 real. Cob coins with their unusual shapes are all unique, making each a one-of-a-kind piece of history.
