Trying To Identify The Details On This 2 Reale Coin

, vintshave. I collect milled 8 reales so I can't help with your cob but there are others here that surely can. You might also try Dan Sedwick (office@sedwickcoins.com). I've found that he's quite willing to respond to email questions about coins.

edit: Ah, I see jfranch has already responded.

The assayer can be found from the top right corner and the bottom left. They carry the same information.

I see a cob of Philip V, Lima, in Spanish colonial New Grenada (modern Peru), 1705, (Roman "5"s look like "9"s but are more open) two reales, assayer "H" with two denominations, two assayers, one mint mark, a full three digit date and a partial date on the cross side with some old paint or plating on the cross side. The coin is fairly common and has some clipping so that none of the outer legend is present. Retail for a nice one (somewhat better than this) was 15,000 Spanish Pesetas, back before the Euro took over. All this info appears multiple times on the cob dies, since the coin blanks were irregular and not likely to be well struck. Enough of the design should have been present to give all the legal information. Well struck coins that are not clipped may have multiples of everything. You see the Pillars of Hercules, looking westward, with Atlantic waves beneath and the motto "PLVS VLTRA" on the obverse, and the quartered arms of the ancient City-States of Castille and Leon (castle and lion symbols) of a combined Spain, in the quadrants of the crusader's cross (Greek style). Add to that, the mint marks "L" assayer's initials "M" denominations "2" in reales, and date(s) digits (prior to 1700 cobs only needed the last two digits, since everyone knew the first two were "16") This marks a good break between Charles II who died without heir and the struggle for Spanish succession that followed. By 1707 Charles III "the Pretender" Duke of Austria was fighting with Philip V Duke of Anjou who would ultimately win. While Barcelona went for Charles, Lima, a half a world away stayed with Philip. Wise choice. Once the war started no treasure fleets could be spared to pick up mounting New World mine output, until the ill-fated Treasure Fleet of 1715, but that is another story. Your two bit coin would have been welcome the world over back at the end of the classical age of "pirates."