1795 Bolivia 8 Reales Carolus IIII Silver Coin with chopmarks
THE COIN THAT YOU SEE IS THE ONE YOU WILL GET.
This is a highly collectible eight reales of 1795 from Bolivia, Henly. These old beauties are part of a major group of collectible coins known as Spanish Colonials. This coin, dated 1795, has King Carlos (Charles, Carolus) IIII of Spain. Other coins, dated later, have Carlos IV. These were also minted in 1/2, 1, 2, and 8 reales denominations, most of which look similar but have different sizes. You can tell the denomination by the 'R' marking: R = 1/2 real, 1R = 1 real, 2R = 2 reales, 4R, and 8R.
You can see several chop marks on this coin. These marks were likely struck into the coin by a merchant in New York or San Francisco Chinatown to indicate that the coin is a good one, not a fake. Collectors like chop marks and will pay a small premium for them. They add interest to an already intereting coin.
OVERVIEW:
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: 27.07 grams, .896 fine silver, .780 troy oz ASW.
PTS monogram (Potosi, Bolivia) - the origin or mint where the coin was struck
'
1795' - the year of mintage
'PP' - assayer's initial;
PP appears for 1794-1802; assayer PR appears for 1776-95 .
'8R' - denomination of the coins
'Carolus IIII' - the ruling monarch
Design
Charles IV portrait coinage (Potosí, Bolivia)
Obverse: CAROLUS · IV · DEI · GRATIA · 1790 ·
Reverse: · HISPAN · ET IND · REX · [PTS mintmark] · 8 R · P · P ·
Weight: 411.4 g (26.65 grams) Diameter: 39.2 mm
This is an example of the "portrait" or "modified pillar" design. In the reverse legend the monogram 'PTS' is the mintmark indicating the coin was produced at the mint in Potosí, Bolivia. This is followd by '8 R' which indicates the denomination of eight reales. The P and the P are the initials of the assayers.
Charles IV ascended to the throne following the death of Charles III on December 14, 1788 and reigned until 1808. However, due to the problems relating to the production and transportation of new dies for the colonial mints an edict of December 24, 1788 allowed the American mints to continue producing coins using dies with the portrait of Charles III but changing the name to Charles IV. In Potosí the first coins on 1789 had the name of Charles III, during that year the portrait was retained but the name was changed to Charles IV, similar coins were produced throughout 1790, as the present example. The 1791 Potosí coins have the new portrait of Charles IV.
CONDITION:
Light to moderate wear; very clear details. This is the actual coin that you will get.