8 Soles Reverse Trial

Trial pieces from mid-nineteenth century Bolivian mints are poorly documented, and this reverse trial in white metal represents the kind of working proof struck to test die alignment and field preparation before committing to silver production runs. Bolivia's Potosí mint — operating since 1574 and among the most prolific in the hemisphere — was still working through the logistical hangover of post-independence monetary reform in 1851, having only recently stabilized its coinage standards following decades of wartime disruption and assayer scandals.

White metal trials from Potosí rarely left official hands.