Chile 2 Pesos

Struck from gold planchets often recycled from melted Spanish reales, the 2 Pesos coin embodied Chile's early efforts to repurpose colonial remnants into symbols of independence.

This gold piece, minted between 1835 and 1851 at the Santiago Mint, featured a simple obverse with the Chilean coat of arms—a shield flanked by a condor and huemul—and the denomination on the reverse. Weights varied slightly due to inconsistent refining techniques of the era, typically around 1.69 grams for the standard issue. Mintage figures are patchy; records from the 1840s were likely destroyed in various upheavals, so precise numbers remain elusive.

Die varieties exist, with some strikes showing weak details from worn tools. That said, it's not the rarest coin I've handled. Spotting a counterfeit is straightforward once you've seen a few; the edges often tell the tale.