1 5 A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | A P R I L 2 0 2 2 (a) (b) (c) (d) A set of coins created in the mid19th century for the Republic of Chile was studied to confirm its composition and manufacturing method. A one-cent coin from 1851 belongs to a private collector and a half-cent coin from 1853 was rescued from the Historical Fort May 25 Village archaeological site and is currently exhibited in the Narciso Sosa Morales Museum in Argentina. Through the study of currencies, the relationship between money and nations can be observed; they are a material testimony of the identity of a people, of an era, and of the monetary policies that have animated the economy. Engravers and craftsmen have shaped in metal many of the most significant characteristics of the history of a nation, as well as its artistic development. The rich iconographic heritage shows the historical symbols of these countries and gives a sense of identity. For example, the relatively new (at the time) nations of the Americas used new symbols such as erupting volcanoes, the sun, eagles, condors, Andean camelids, hands swearing on the constitution, and the figures of the Republic and Minerva as representations of freedom, among others. In the country of Chile, through the enactment of the law of January 9, 1851, the Chilean monetary system was transformed, going from reales and escudos to pesos and centavos, with the following equivalence 1 peso = 8 reales. The aforementioned law, in article 4 said, “There will be two kinds of copper coins, called cents and half a cent of refined copper without mixing any other metal.” The law of March 19, 1851 established that, “The copper coins will bear on the obverse the central star of the shield with the inscription: “Republic of Chile” and year of issue; and on the reverse the expression of its value, a bouquet of circular laurel, and the motto: “Economy is wealth.” Throughout the numismatic history of Chile different versions of the coat of arms have been used on coins. Initially, when Chile was a Spanish colony, the coats of arms of Spain were used. Later, when independence came, Chile’s coat of arms represented the Earth on a pillar. There were ducing tokens and coins in 1850 as a private enterprise, separate from, but in cooperation with the Royal Mint. In 1851 coins were minted for Chile. The same year copper plates were made for the Royal Mint to convert more simplified versions in which only the central flat star is shown, as in the case of the 1851 coin. The 1853 coin shows the coat with a five-pointed star with additional relief. CHILEAN AND ENGLISH MINTS To comply with this law, copper was commissioned from the Carlos Lambert smelter in Coquimbo (Chile). The plates produced were taken to Santiago where they were minted at the Casa de Moneda. Unfortunately, defects in the plates resulted in coins that were inconsistent in weight, which ranged between 8.388 and 9.400 g. This added to the technical deficiencies of the Mint in making of copper coins, being the first time such large quantities were produced, and led to the end of production of these coins in the country. The Birmingham Mint, a coining mint, originally known as Heaton’s Mint or Ralph Heaton & Son’s Mint, in Birmingham, England, started pro- Fig. 1 — The 1853 copper coin before (a and b) and after (c and d) electrolytic cleaning. Fig. 3 — Example of the 1853 half-cent coin in good condition. Fig. 2 — Obverse and reverse of 1851 historical coin, after electrolytic cleaning.
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