2 Reales Silver 'Thin Planchet' Pattern

Paraguay in 1869 was a country being dismembered. The War of the Triple Alliance had reduced the male population by an estimated 60–70%, and Francisco Solano López was killed at Cerro Corá in March of that year, ending the conflict. Pattern coinage struck during or immediately after this period reflects the urgent need to establish functional monetary infrastructure under what was effectively a foreign-administered reconstruction. The thin planchet specification — lighter than the intended production standard — suggests weight adjustments were being trialed against the practical realities of silver supply and anticipated trade use in a virtually depopulated economy.