Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
1/2 Real - Philip III
| Issuer | Casa de Moneda de Potosí |
|---|---|
| Year | 1596-1617 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Log in to see details |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central crowned royal cypher of Philip III, formed by an interlaced 'P' and 'S' monogram surmounted by a royal crown, all within a dotted beaded border. The assayer's initial appears in the field flanking the monogram. A partial legend reading PHILIPPVS III D G runs along the outer rim, partially visible due to the irregular flan typical of cob coinage. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Quartered coat of arms of the Spanish Crown divided by a bold cross of Jerusalem, with the quarters displaying the castles of Castile and the lions of León in alternating arrangement. A partial circular legend surrounds the shield along the rim, though much of it is lost to the irregular flan edges characteristic of macuquina cob coinage. The cross extends to the coin's edge, creating four clearly defined quadrants. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Philip III inherited the Potosí mint at its most productive and most corrupt moment. The assayer fraud scandal that would later explode under Philip IV had its roots in this reign — substandard silver was being passed into cobs systematically, with complicit assayers initialing pieces that failed purity requirements. Small denominations like this half real were the least scrutinized and therefore the most likely vehicles for debased metal entering circulation across the Viceroyalty of Peru.
The KM#6.2 designation separates this type from the transitional issues of the Philip II period by assayer mark.