1 Reale 'Pirate' Cob Coin Earrings

HANDMADE REPRODUCTION

This particular coin is marked 1668 - the year Henry Morgan sacked the allegedly impenetrable city of Portobello. Portobello was strategic for export of precious metals from the New World to Spain. Morgan spared the city from total destruction for a hefty ransom of over 800,000 reales.
see video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS-QuVt0KcA

Historic maps would have read "ne plus ultra" at the edge of the known world, meaning "no more beyond". These early coins from the New World sent a different message to those back home. They read "plus ultra" or "more beyond" - more riches in silver and gold.
Spanish silver 'cob' coins from the New World were minted primarily in Mexico City (Mexico), Potosi (Bolivia), and Lima (Peru).

Because these coins were historically clipped, quickly struck, and vary in thickness, their shapes, sizes, and the mark of the dies vary substantially from one to the next. These were not intended to look pretty. The crudeness makes it clear that these represent quickly legalized shipments of silver bullion made for export en mass.

On the front is depicted the cross of Jerusalem, lions and castles, P (Potosi), E (Assayer's mark), the date, and the value (1 'reale'). It is surrounded by the legend "CAROLVS II D G HISPANIARVM R"

On the reverse are the Pillars of Hercules with wave patterns below. Chekered in the pillars are the assayer's mark, mint, date, value, and "PLVS VLTR". The surrounding legend reads "POTOSI ANO 1668 EL PERV".

PRODUCT INFO:
- Hot struck from 2.5-3 grams of 99.9 pure silver (see methodology)
- Earring hooks are PURE sterling silver, so they will never turn greenish like cheaper sterling-plated base metal earrings.
- Just like the original ancient coins, each is hand struck, so allow for slight irregularity and variance from the photos

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