Spanish Cob Bracelet

Silver and gold coins minted in the New World were generally called “cobs” for cut off block. The coin blanks were cut from a long, almost round, ingot of metal and then heated for stamping. 99% of the one-half real cobs bear a cross with lions and castles in between the arms of the cross. The cobs of Mexico are obvious because of the globe or ball-ends of the crosses. Other mints are more difficult to identify and usually have straight armed crosses or bar-end crosses. The only way to distinguish them from one another is by the form of the king’s monogram on the reverse; different mints having different configurations. These coins were generally used in the country of origin; they were too small to consider transporting back to Spain. They are most often found on land in caches, not from shipwrecks.

17th century. Mexican silver 1/2 real coins ; Obverse: Cross with Lions and Castles between the Arms. Reverse: Initials of the King. 22kt handmade link bracelet.