8 Reales

Accession Number1986.003.0134

VesselNuestra Señora de Atocha (1622)

DescriptionA silver coin from the 1622 galleon Atocha is 3.8 centimeters in diameter and weighs 26.1 grams. The obverse bears a large Hapsburg shield topped with a crown. To the left is a “P” over a “B.” The P is the mark of the mint at Potosí, the famed Andean silver mining city. The M is the mark of the assayer, Juan Muñoz, the person who supervised the striking of the coin and certified its value. Muñoz worked in 1616 and 1617. A partial legend of “NYARUM” represents the intended HISPANIARUM. No denomination mark is present, but the coin is of the size and weight of an 8 reales piece. On the reverse is a Greek cross, and each quarter it forms holds either a castle (representing Castile) or a lion (representing León). The cross is surrounded by a flower-like tressure and encircled with beading. A partial legend of “T INDY” represents an intended ET INDIARUM.