Coin Description: Potosi 1700 F Eight Reales. 27.3 gms. Assayer Tomas Fernandez (F) de Ocana struck silver at Potosi in the last years of the unfortunate Carlos IIÛªs reign. His initial (F) is visible twice of the pillar side, once on the cross side. The mint mark (P), the denomination (8), and about 50% of the pillar side design are lost to faceting or to flat spots. Flat spots are most commonly the result of poor planchet preparation. On the cross side, the castles are lost to flat spots, and moderate corrosion is evident. Despite the corrosion, the planchet is full weight, even a little heavy, but rough and irregular. A small split-crack visible at 11 oÛªclock on the pillar side tells us the coin was struck on a planchet that was not sufficiently heated. Potosi clearly was much less concerned about the appearance of its coins than Lima.
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