Spanish Royal, Philip V

Philip V was King of Spain from November 1, 1700, until his abdication in favor of his son Louis on January 14, 1724, and then again from September 6, 1724, until his own death on July 9, 1746. A grandson of King Louis XIV of France, he was appointed heir by his granduncle, King Charles II of Spain. His accession triggered the 13-year War of the Spanish Succession, which ended with the Treaty of Utrecht, barring any future unification of the French and Spanish crowns. Philip was the first Bourbon to rule Spain, and his total reign of 45 years and 21 days is the longest in Spain’s modern history.

The real was a long-standing unit of currency in Spain and its colonies. As silver deposits were discovered in the New World, there was a pressing need to export it quickly to Spain. Starting under Philip II, Spanish mints began producing irregularly shaped but precisely weighed coins known as "cobs." Silver bars were cut into chunks of correct weight for easy shipping. In Spain, cobs were melted into jewelry, coins, bars, and more. Each coin’s irregular shape makes it a one-of-a-kind artifact from history.