My World Crown Affair
19th Cent, Argentina 8 reales

Owner Comments:

1813 8 reales of the Provincias Unidas del Río de la Plata, formerly the Spanish Viceroyalty of the Rio del la Plata that included parts of modern day Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia. This is from the first year of issues, after the royalist forces retreated from part of Alto Perú leaving the mint at Potosí under the control of the revolutionaries. Another issue followed in 1815 when the revolutionary forces once again controlled the mint. Ultimately, Alto Perú gained independence in 1825 taking the name Bolivia in honor of Simón Bolívar.

This is the first year of issue and was minted in Potosi. The sunface design on this coin is known as the Sol de Mayo from the story that the sun shone forth from the clouds at the declaration of the new, independent government in May of 1810. The design is similar to the heraldic device called the "sun in splendor", notable for having alternating straight and wavy rays.

Slabbed purchase from the September 2015 Long Beach Expo World Coins Signature Auction. From the auction catalog: "Argentina, Potosi mint, KM5. attractive for the assigned grade with significantly lustrous fields, a sharp strike and light high-point wear defining the grade. A good representative of this classic and popular early Republican issue, very scarce in this preservation."