I have a copy of Las Monedas Reselladas de Felipe II y Felipe IV. It is quite a slim paperback catalogue of the copper coins in the Seventeenth Century which were countermarked up and down in value as inflation rose and fell. It is very comprehensive (as far as I can tell) and well-illustrated. It is easy to understand – if you read Spanish! I bought my copy on holiday in Barcelona at the shop of a dealer in Plaza del Angel.

I am a regular reader of your weekly E-Sylum mailing and enjoy it very much. I can comment on the book Las Acunaciones de la Cecas de Lima, La Plata y Potosi, 1568-1651 by Dr. E. A. Sellschopp. It was published by the Spanish Numismatic Association (ANE) in 1968 and is bilingual (Spanish and English); it was subsequently reprinted in about 1992 with Paul Karon as editor.

The book is a study by Sellschopp of the cob coinage struck in the Viceroyalty of Peru from 1568 to 1651. A useful utility of the book is that all 561 coins are described and photographed; of particular value to me is the study of the different lion and castle punches used to make the dies.

When I first began to collect these coins, I found the book very useful. A single date was added to the legend at Potosi beginning in 1617 (the Lima mint had long been closed before this date, not to re-open until a later date). However the coins were very crudely struck and for the dated period, a knowledge of the style of the coin and the punches used allows one to get an approximate date even when the date did not make it onto the coin. From my experience (over 40 years) well over 90% of the coins I've viewed can be found in the book (or a pictured example is shown that is closely similar in style).

There are however some very significant errors in the book. Coins identified as struck at the ephemeral mint of La Plata are incorrectly identified; they were actually struck at Potosi. Also the author attributed some of the early coins to Lima that properly belong to Potosi as archival research has shown.

Again, the value of the book is the coin images. I've found that the book can be purchased at Alan David Workman, Bookseller (www.workmansbooks.com).