Fakes of Santiago 8-R Pillars

SANTIAGO 8-R FAKES

Because of the collectors' value of the 8-Reales Pillars, a number of fakes had showed up through the years. Examples are consolidated below.

The fakes are obviously derived from specimens of Lima. It is an assumption that an uninformed collector would be fooled, since Santiago was part of the Vice-Royalty of Peru.

Note on the use of the following :
Reverse : the large "J" assayer, the spelling "FERDND" and the absence of "dot" (see center and upper left specimen)
Obverse : the use of large crown, colonial- or Spanish- years.

The real Santiago 8R uses a small crown over the globe, a smaller So mintmark and modern- or Arabic- year. On the reverse, the "J" assayer is small and the most glaring of all -- "FERDINANDUS".

Below is the Lima specimen where the fakes could have been based.

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