Spanish coins alloys

[Moe (fl)]

I was wondering if the Spanish used only gold, silver, and copper in their coins (cobs)?

Does anyone know if they used iron in coins or any other metals such as brass/bronze/low silver/nickel/etc?

Thanks,

HH.
Moe

 

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[Trez]

you forgot the metal they thought was the one of the worst impurities...platinum.

Trez

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

OHIO: That depends upon the period that you are interested in. Yes, they used copper alloys also.

Remember, even into the early 1900's .50 centavos was almost two weeks pay. Obviously small coinage was necessary for basic comerce. Imagine what a Gold Escudo represented. 8 Reales represented 4 months good average pay.

Similar to using $10,000 bills today.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Moe (fl)]

I am referring to new world cobs 1500s to 1700s.

Moe

 

[holeintoe]

Here is a good reference page for your question

http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinIntros/Sp-Silver.intro.html

 

[carolus2]

Very interesting gracias Don Jose,

Our web site gives more info see it : robcar.net

Piratillo

I am referring to new world cobs 1500s to 1700s.

Moe

 

[cuzcosquirrel]

Spain went through periods where they debased the coins used domesticly, but not in the colonies. These were known as billion or vellon alloy, and probably had more copper, iron, or tin added. There was some sort of exchage scheme that operated that worked by trading these for pisatreens from the colonies, which had a higher silver content. Underweight coins were produced at the Potosi mint in the 1640's and this led to a calling in of the old light coins and a reissue using a new design.

 

[Michigan Badger]

At one time I cleaned many hundreds of old dug and shipwreck cobs.

I experimented with many different cleaning processes.

In so doing I discovered that the books today don't tell all about these cobs.

I could take a hand full of maravedis cobs that the books all say are 100% copper and right before your eyes I could clean them and some of them would come out silver. But the books or researchers all say these don't exist.

The Spanish process of making cobs during the 1500's to late 1600's was very crude. The copper used for maravedis cobs may be almost pure copper or it may be 10% silver plus plus other metals mixed in with the copper.

As mentioned above, late 1500's to very early 1600's silver reale cobs can sometimes contain platinum because the Spanish viewed that metal as trash.

One time a seller on ebay had an 17th century hammered coin that was supposed to be copper. He put it online as a fake. I wrote and told him it looked good to me and I told him about how wacky the metals can be in these early cobs and coins. When the auction ended he got nearly $100 for his coin because there are a few collectors in the world who know what I know (the number is growing).

Many many of the so-called copper cobs are from 1-20% silver, but you'll never convince most experts of that fact today. All such maravedis cobs are called fakes. In fact, even the solid copper ones are often called fake.

The story on Spanish cobs is incomplete today.