John Kraljevich Americana

Austria. 1699 three kreuzer. Vienna mint. MS-64 (NGC). As beautiful as a coin with Leopold the Hogmouth's mug on it can be. Fully brilliant and untoned, boldly lustrous and sharply detailed. Natural curved on the vertical axis from its roller die production. Leopold is a maxillofacial icon, and even in this diminutive size his ailment is on full display. It seems unusual that you can buy a near Gem coin from the 17th century for...Sold

England. 1771 halfpenny. AU-58 (PCGS). An accurately graded, deeply lustrous, reflective, ideally colored and choice specimens that I'd prefer to a lot of Mint State pieces. Medium brown surfaces show lustrous highlights of gold and pale blue, particularly rich on the prooflike reverse. Remarkably well struck, with full detail on the head of Britannia, a very unusual trait on this type. Struck from clashed dies. A beautiful example of this most common coin of colonial America (other than the fact that it's a genuine piece -- the fakes were more common)...Sold

Spain. 1707 Y one real or "half pistareen." Segovia Mint. KM-269. Very Fine. A very elusive one year type of Philip V, showing a fancy Philip V monogram on the obverse instead of the more familiar cross. This denomination was also called a croat, which makes me tempted to keep it, but if I started a collection highlighting my ethnic heritage I'd have to go buy a quarter guinea too. This piece shows pleasing light silver gray surfaces with just a hint of schmutz inside the obverse crown. Struck a little off-center, but nice and sharp for the grade. The roller dies that produced coins like this are preserved in the Segovia Mint today. Many are illustrated on their facebook page--(while you're there, add me). Jefferson called the half-pistareen (ten of which passed for a Spanish milled dollar) "perfectly familiar to us all" in his defense of a proposed dime denomination, making this an interesting addition to an early dime collection. This is the first example of this type I've ever owned, though I had (and sold) the two reales kin to this piece last year. If one was to build a type set of pistareens and half pistareens, this would be one of the keys...Sold

Mexico. 1747 MF eight reales or "Pillar dollar" Mexico City Mint. Choice Fine. From a long off-the-market collection, this piece has been sitting in a paper envelope for decades -- and it looks like it. Elegant multicolored toning is gold at the rims, deep gray and violet in the fields, and rich blue nearer centers. Worn but pleasing, with smooth surfaces and great eye appeal for the grade. The rim shows a little bit of mint-made crudity between 7 and the mintmark at lower right obverse, old harmless mark right of the right pillar, otherwise free of issues. A gorgeous coin for those who appreciate the beauty of a profoundly original circulated coin...Sold

Central American Republic. 1836 BA eight reales. Nueva Guatemala mint. Choice Extremely Fine. Beautiful pastel blue toning gathers at peripheries, with faint violet highlights at the light gray center. Exemplary lustre is particularly bold for the grade level, eye appeal is both excellent and original. The obverse is centered towards 3:00, allowing for complete denticles to be seen at left side. Only some trivial marks are seen at the always-soft central reverse. The tree is mostly well-struck. Once housed in an NGC EF-45 holder, it is now raw and lovely to hold in-hand. This type was legal tender in early America and was assayed by the U.S. Mint after specimens turned up in bullion deposits. In 1842, Eckfeldt and Dubois noted that "the dollars, 1824-36, average 415 grains in weight, and 896 thousands fine; value 100.1 cents."...Sold

Choice 1759 Mexico Pillar Dollar

Mexico. 1759 MM 8 reales or "pillar dollar." Mexico City mint. VF-35 (PCGS). A gorgeous example of this classic type, the coin that inspired the American dollar. Nice olive, gold, and slate blue highlights cling to the silver gray surfaces. A good deal of lustre remains, reflective in areas, and the eye appeal is superb. As original as this is, I wouldn't be surprised if it got certified as an AU-50 or AU-53; if it doesn't sell, I'll probably submit it and raise the price. It's a new purchase and I'll offer it as is with the assurances that it's as nice an example for the grade as you'd find in any holder. If I need to sell you on the concept of including a Pillar dollar in an American-focused coin collection, you haven't been paying attention...Sold

Peru. 1698 H 2 reales. Lima mint. Very Fine. 104.2 grains. A handsome cob two reales of a type that saw active American circulation. Medium gray with a strong central strike and light encrustation in the recesses. A few minor marks date from the coin's useful life and do not distract. The date, two mintmarks, and the assayer initial are complete...Sold

Mexico. 1786 FM eight reales. Mexico City mint. AU-58 (PCGS). Briliant, lustrous, and reflective, with light golden toning over both sides that deepens near the rims. The obverse is more brilliant, the reverse more golden. Some hairlines are seen on the prooflike obverse, light abrasion under chin, some hints of peripheral encrustation, soft spot at adjustment marks at right side of reverse arms. This piece and the 1788 eight reales that follows come from a hoard found in Haiti, which contained nearly exclusively Mint State eight reales from the mid to late 1780s. Not coincidentally, the island was rocked by a slave revolt in 1791 that evolved into the Haitian Revolution; undoubtedly the coins were secreted at that time. While this coin shows some handling and abrasions, its toning is pleasant and the eye appeal is superb...Sold

Spain. 1724 J two reales or pistareen. Seville mint. Choice About Uncirculated. A glistening, frosty pistareen of Phillip V, with light golden toning and only the merest suggestion of friction on the highest points of the design. The dies are a bit fatigued, with the typical vertical stretch marks seen on this type, a relic of their roller die technology. For more images of roller dies from this era, add Ceca Segovia (the Segovia Mint) on Facebook; they've worked to preserve minting technology like this. Pistareens of this type saw more circulation in early America, especially the Mid-Atlantic states, than nearly any other small silver types in 18th century America. Cut into halves and quarters, portions of pistareens became dimes and half dimes. Though these coins still survive in substantial numbers today, few are this high grade, original, and attractive...Sold

England. 1673 halfpenny. Charles II. About Very Fine. Nice light brown with good eye appeal. Bold sharpness and more even surfaces that often encountered on this early halfpenny issue, the first of the general type that persisted until the end of the 18th century. A few spots are present on the reverse, the largest of which is left of N of NIA on the right side. The centering is pretty good, and the tops of the diminutive date digits are plain. Some microscopic little fissures affect nothing. This type is important to American colonial enthusiasts for two reasons: most obviously, this type is occasionally found in American soil, typically worn nearly slick; secondly, this type has been found as an undertype on London Elephant tokens, thus helping to date them more precisely...Sold

Rare Pillar Dollar from the French and Indian War Wreck HMS Tilbury (1757)

Mexico.1750 MF eight reales from the 1757 wreck of the HMS Tilbury. Saltwater AU. Chalky patina over well-preserved and barely corroded surfaces, with very little wear evident. The edge device is almost entirely intact, and the eye appeal is far finer than usually encountered on coins from this historic wreck. A scarce provenance, the Tilbury was a British warship that carried the pay for the 1757 (not 1758) British expedition against the French fortress at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The expedition was cancelled, but the taking of the fortress in 1758 gave the British access to the interior of Canada and gave them a firm upper hand in the American theatre of the French and Indian War. The coins recovered from the Tilbury were mostly Pillar dollars, along with some cobs. The coins are seen rarely today, and most are pretty well chewed up. This nice exception comes with a numbered certificate from the French-Canadian salvors, signed in ink (in addition to the usual autopen) by Pierre Leclerc. This is really the only wreck from the French and Indian War that yielded collectible coins, and it makes a fine addition to a collection that includes a piece from the 1761 wreck of Le Auguste...Sold

Mexico. 1776 FM eight reales. Mexico City mint. VF-35 (PCGS Secure). Glossy deep gray with some old opalescent toning on the reverse. A classic date for any collector of Americana; feel free to place this in your collection where your silver Continental dollar hole is empty. A few little marks, including a thin hairline scratch across Carlos' chin. Nice eye appeal for a circulated piece. This date is harder to find than most others of the era; this may have as much to do with supply as it does with the obvious demand...Sold

Ireland. 1760 farthing, George II. AU-58 (PCGS Secure). Very attractive chocolate brown with faded mint color in the obverse fields, richer mint color on reverse. Olive toning surrounds legends and devices, strong lustre and sharpness on both sides. Irish coppers saw abundant American circulation in the 18th century, as is borne out by archeological and metal detector evidence. This type is quite rare in high grade, and this one is prettier than a lot of Mint State examples...Sold

Ireland. 1602 penny. Elizabeth I. S-6510. Very Fine. A beautiful example of this crude coinage, with nice olive patina on both sides. The obverse is well centered, attractive, and boasts nearly complete legends. The reverse is a little soft at center but ELIZABETH is complete and bold. A few little specks of verdigris are visible, but the overall quality is very nice. Almost as nice as the last of these that I had. As noted previously here, this is as vital a type to American numismatic history as the Wood's Hibernia, perhaps even more so, as a substantial number of this type have been found in the excavations at Jamestown in very early contexts. In the ruins of James Fort, this is by far the most commonly found copper coin, suggesting that someone brought a significant group of these to Jamestown to circulate, rather than just a few odd pieces being mixed into immigrant's pocket change. Nice examples always sell quickly. If you're looking for one coin to ideally represent the first permanent English settlement in North America, this is it...Sold

France. 1704-A ecu of Louis XIV. Paris mint. EF-45 (PCGS Secure). Strong lustre and frosty opalescent gray surfaces suggest a higher grade. Attractive gold toning frames devices and legends, and very little actual wear is apparent. Boldly overstruck on an earlier type (a reformation, en francais). A rather extraordinary die crack is seen on a diagonal below Louis' chin. The Castine Deposit was lost on the Maine coast in 1704, and it include at least one French ecu of an earlier type and a half crown of the same design type as this piece. Undoubtedly, a fair number of these found their way to American shores either via New France (Canada) or the French islands of the West Indies, and they found prominent places on coin charts throughout the 18th century, often as "French crowns." This one exhibits the kind of originality savvy collectors actively seek...Sold

Ireland. 1692 halfpenny. William and Mary. Very Fine or better. Probably Extremely Fine by strict sharpness, but just a bit granular. Nice even dark chocolate brown with ideal centering and strong central detail. This diminutive type was among the last Irish coppers until the Wood's coinage, though there was a one-year (1696) issue in the name of just William III. This type, with the busts of both William and Mary, was issued just 1692 through 1694; 1693 is the most often encountered date. I know of several of these that have been found in American soil...Sold

Ireland. 1685 halfpenny. James II. Choice Very Fine. An unusually nice example of this scarce issue, which is usually encountered with either terrible surfaces or no detail. This one shows nice deep brown surfaces, somewhat brassy devices, and far more central detail (particularly in the hair) than typically encountered. The surfaces are hard and glossy, with just the most trifling natural obverse planchet pitting. It would be tough to find a nicer example of this patent coinage by Dublin mayor Sir John Knox...Sold

Ireland. 1680 halfpenny. Charles II. Fine. Nice chocolate brown, glossy and nearly smooth. Softly struck atop obverse and reverse, affecting some of the peripheral legend. A good looking example of this crude, scarce issue, struck and circulated at about the same time as the Saint Patrick pieces. The Irish halfpence of Charles II were the first large official coppers struck for the island, and this type lasted just four years (1680-84). They're scarce today, particularly in high grade. These pieces were struck by patent by Thomas Armstrong and George Legge, much like Mr. Wood's patent halfpence from the 1720s. Some likewise found their way to American shores with Irish emigrants of the era, in fact, one ended up under Interstate 95 in Philadelphia as part of the "Philadelphia Highway Coin Find."...Sold

Choice "Defiant Head" 1751 Circulating Counterfeit Halfpenny

1751 circulating counterfeit halfpenny. Defiant Head. Anton-Kesse 57. Choice Very Fine. 119.4 grains. Put simply, the nicest example of this issue I've ever seen, just marginally less sharp than the AK plate coin, but with ideal and choice glossy chocolate brown surfaces. Smooth, problem-free, and likely impossible to upgrade. This one is way nicer than the Ringo coin which brought $374 in January 2008 (five years ago, which makes me feel old). Ringo's was actually an AK-56, another 1751 variety from the same workshop as this AK-57. Another AK-56 with granular surfaces brought $276 in the January 2010 Stack's Americana sale. There probably aren't many fussy collectors who pursue circulating counterfeit halfpence, since most of the known specimens are damn ugly. If one was fussy about condition, however, this could would be quite a find. In a general sense, struck counterfeit George II halfpence are hundreds (thousands?) of times rarer than struck counterfeit George III halfpence...Sold

Great Britain. Spence's farthing. Dalton & Hamer Middlesex 1089. Mint State. Rich chocolate patina reveals reflective lustre in the fields. A beautiful piece, with only two old spots at the reverse rim mentioned as minor defects. Unworn, though softly struck on the reverse as always seen. This popular type, with the anti-slavery themed Am I Not a Man and Brother obverse and Adam and Eve on the reverse under the legend "Man Over Man He Made Not Lord," is rated as scarce by D&H. Spence's pieces are very popular of late, with red and brown Uncs selling for four figure prices. The historic nature of these Conder tokens, inspired by Wedgwood's designs and serving as inspiration to later American abolitionists, makes them easy types to add to any cabinet. From Davisson's Sale #9, October 1997, Lot 357, with lot ticket...Sold

Pleasing One Real of Ferdinand and Isabella

Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella (ca. 1474-1506) one real. Seville Mint. S mintmark, assayer *. Choice Extremely Fine or better. Rich old multicolored cabinet toning graces this piece, imbued by the old paper envelope from Hesperia Art, ca. 1960, in which it's been stored for decades. Full weight at 3.4 grams, FERDINANDVS ET ISAB legends complete. A beautiful example of this bit from the era of the dawn of the New World, struck in the names of the most famous monarchs of the Era of Exploration...Sold

Guatemala. 1759 P four reales. Guatemala City mint. Fine to Very Fine. Even light silver gray, just a little bright on the reverse. Unholed and unrepaired, a fairly wholesome example of this scarce issue. Softly struck, as is typical of the products of the Guatemala mint, but all legends and designs are complete. Some old scratches cross-hatch areas of the reverse; a less noticeable batch of fine scratches is present above the crown. In the context of Guatemala pillar four reales, this is pretty nice. It looks quite pleasing in hand...Sold

Mexico. 1751 M two reales. Mexico City mint. Very Fine, salvaged. "Select" (ANACS). From the 1784 wreck of El Cazador Bright silver, cleaned after recovery, with an area of discoloration at central reverse. A vertical adjustment mark is seen at the soft left center of the reverse. Good detail, not badly corroded, a much better looking coin than 99% of the pieces from this wreck. The El Cazador was found in 1993 by a fishing vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Bound for New Orleans, this coin and the others on board should have ended up in American pockets -- coins just like them did. The principal cargo was 1783-dated Mexican eight reales, though some minor coins of the 1780s were also recovered and injected into the modern marketplace. Older coins like this made up just a tiny slice of the coins recovered and are met with rarely now...Sold

French Colonies / Guadeloupe. 1767-A sou. Paris mint. Counterstamped RF in 1793 for circulation in Guadeloupe. Choice Very Fine. A popular US colonial issue, though both the undercoin and the countermark were produced for the French Colonies after North America had been ceded. Despite the timeline problem, this type continues to be sought out by most colonial collectors. While some may well have circulated in American Gulf Coast cities, this type absolutely circulated all over the French West Indies. It represents an easy entry into the fascinating cut and countermarked coins of the West Indies, with a tie to the French and Indian War and the French Revolution. Guadeloupe, a tiny sugar island, was traded for the whole of Canada at the Treaty of Paris negotiations in 1763; this was the next coinage authorized for the island after the French re-assumed control. In 1793, the Revolutionary government was in charge of France, and it recalled these pieces to be countermarked to circulate at a different value. These pieces were called "collots" after the governor of Guadeloupe, Georges Henri Victor Collot, who engaged in a spy mission into the American interior in 1795 and 1795 on behalf of the French government. This piece is pleasing dark brown and mahogany with good gloss. Most example of this issue are rather ugly. This one is superb for the grade...Sold

Peru. 1802 IJ two reales. Lima mint. Choice Extremely Fine. Lovely navy blue and deep olive toning frames the peripheries, with hints of gold amidst the lustrous recesses of the light silver gray reverse. Off-center by a little more than 5%, enough that the tops of the letters at the left obverse are at the rim and the die edge is visible at right obverse and left reverse. Nicely struck and problem free, just a good-looking and interesting specimen of the issue...Sold

Scarce Four Reales from the 1711 HMS Feversham

Mexico / New York. Undated (ca. 1622-65) four reales of Philip IV. From the wreck of the HMS Feversham. Fine, salvaged. Good color and a bold cross make this a very attractive cob, despite typical salvage surfaces. The corrosion is worse on the reverse than obverse, but better overall than most cobs from the Feversham. A little scrape is noted at the thin part of the rim in the northeast quadrant of the obverse. Four reales cobs are perhaps the scarcest denomination from this wreck. They are probably the earliest proveably American "half dollars," and thus serve as the ultimate preface to everything from Bust halves to Kennedys. This coin was circulating in New York in 1711 before the Feversham headed to Nova Scotia on its final voyage...Sold

Spain. (1474-1504) four maravedis of Ferdinand and Isabella. Cuenca mint. Calico-560. Choice Very Fine. Easily the finest Ferdinand and Isabella copper I've offered, with glossy and choice chocolate brown surfaces. The centers are well struck and boldly defined, with the C mintmark (looks like a backwards D) and A assayer bold along with unusual definition on the lion and castle devices. The planchet is broad but, as typical, tapered towards the edges. FERNANDVS is mostly legible to the right of the castle, moreso than most, including the Calico plate pieces. The overall quality of this one dwarfs those overall. Historically, this type is among the first to reach the shores of the modern United States, found by metal detectorists in Saint Augustine and archaeologically at a site near Ocala where the DeSoto expedition camped in 1539, called the "oldest New World contact site in the terrestrial United States." Those pieces are now on display at the Appleton Museum at the University of Central Florida. Politics, rather than history, have resulted in Plymouth Rock's celebrated status, more than the earlier English settlement at Jamestown and far more than the far older permanent settlements of the Spanish in Florida. Spaniards were in Florida consistently since the 1530s, just four decades after Columbus first explored the Caribbean with the approval of Ferdinand and Isabella. Their names are more familiar to schoolchildren than American numismatists, though their coppers were likely the first to find steady circulation in the future United States...Sold

Netherlands. Zeeland. 1698 silver ducat or "legdollar." About Uncirculated. A frosty and finely toned example of this large and impressive Dutch crown, a major trade coin of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The medium to light gray surfaces show substantial lustre on both sides, enlivened by picture-perfect toning, with rich blues and violets around the obverse devices, soft gold at central reverse, and pastel blue around the reverse peripheries. The planchet is well made, though it shows some light distant rim clips. A large interesting die crack is present at 9:00 on the reverse through 16 of the date. The Dutch were big players in trade in the West Indies in the 18th century, particularly via St. Eustatius, whose role in that trade became a military issue during the American Revolution. Coins like this circulated in the American colonies via that trade, worth a little less than a dollar. This one didn't see much circulation anywhere, with excellent surfaces, color, and technical quality...Sold

France (John Law). 1720 AA sol of 12 deniers. Metz mint. Very Fine. Dark chocolate brown with granular surfaces, with a tan obverse portrait of the child king Louis XV and slightly darker shield on the reverse. Decent gloss and contrast, actually pretty nice as these things go, where smooth surfaces are rarely seen and high grades are all but unheard of. Popularly pursued by French colonial collectors, as John Law's firm, the Compagnie des Indes, was in control of the French mints for just 13 months, from December 1719 to January 1721. While coppers of this type (struck as liards of 3 deniers, demi-sols of 6 deniers, and sols of 12 deniers) circulated in North America, they were likely not shipped officially and don't really deserve status as "colonials." This largest denomination seems to be the scarcest, and nice ones command pretty high sums. Even more typical ones, like this, do not turn up with any real regularity...Sold

England. 1773 circulating counterfeit farthing. George III. Choice Extremely Fine. 46.5 grains, a very light production. Glossy tan surfaces are ideal, unusual for the counterfeits of this issue. Some original unstruck planchet texture is visible on George's profile, left unobliterated when the thin planchet was unable to fill the relief of the die. Both sides are struck a bit off-center and softly at centers. Just as counterfeit halfpence were a plague on early American pockets, so too were underweight counterfeit farthings like this one...Sold

Dominica. (1798) moco or 1 1/2 bitts. Pridmore-22. Choice Very Fine. 44.8 grains. 15 crenelations around edge, the hallmark of the 5000 official mocos authorized by the island of Dominica in 1798. Pleasing deep silver gray with a hint of navy blue. Little worn but somewhat swollen at center, causing some appearance of wear. Problem-free and original. This issue, as noted by Pridmore, was "extensively counterfeited" at the time, producing a range of collectible varieties. This diminutive cut issue of the West Indies was produced from a circular segment cut from the center of an eight reales, hammered flat, then struck with a blank reverse and the detailed obverse. A popular and interesting issue from the British West Indies...Sold

France. 1786 sou. Aix (&) mint. Double struck. Choice About Uncirculated. Lustrous milk chocolate brown with excellent visual appeal and smooth, attractive surfaces. Just a few degrees separate the two strikes, making for an eye-catching effect. The temple of Louis XVI shows a little lighter color, but no marks or significant flaws are noted. The rim is a little crude, as made, at 11:00 on the obverse. I bought this cute error from Mike Ringo at the FUN show in 1996 -- at the time, we had both ponytails of a similar length to the peruke worn by Louis XVI...Sold

Ireland. 1691 Limerick halfpenny. About Uncirculated. No apparent undertype. Beautiful chocolate brown, somewhat glossy on the obverse, downright lustrous on the reverse. An impressive network of die cracks and planchet cracks suggest the sort of conditions under which these Limerick Besieged pieces were produced. Two parallel vertical die cracks run behind James II's head, others connect the peripheral legends, and the left obverse field is bulged. A thin planchet crack runs through the first A in GRATIA, though it is more noticeable on the reverse. Several die cracks and uneven fields also hallmark the reverse. Just the merest whisper of friction and some thin patina on the high points of the reverse figure, particularly the elbow and the cross after HIBERNIA. A delightful and crude coin, barely worn and nicely preserved. The settlement of Limerick, Pennsylvania was begun not long after the great Jacobite upheaval of the late 1680s and early 1690s, with the first families arriving from Limerick, Ireland in 1698. One can imagine more than a few halfpence like this made the trip...Sold

Spain. 1725 JJ two reales or pistareen. Cuenca mint. Cal-1164. Choice Mint State. An impressively struck coin, deeply detailed on both sides. Frosty and brightly lustrous, chiefly brilliant with some light peripheral toning and a delicate golden sheen. Just a beautiful pistareen from this slightly scarcer mint, a perfect addition to a Mint State collection of pistareens by date and mint. There was no more common small silver coin in the Mid-Atlantic states in the 18th century, making this denomination one of the world trade coins most appropriate for inclusion in an American-themed world coin collection...Sold

Incredible Mexican 8 Reales Cob, Ex. Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry

Mexico. Undated eight reales, probably Phillip V (1700-24). Fine or so. A common coin with an uncommon provenance and history. While this piece is prettier than most Mexican cob 8 reales of this crude era, with smooth deep gray surfaces and no corrosion or problems, it is still fairly typical. But how many cobs have collector pedigrees dating to decades before the Civil War? Commodore Perry is most famous for opening Japan to the West in the 1850s, but during his long and storied naval career he gathered coins from all over the world into a collection that remained intact until 1995, when it was lovingly catalogued by Frank Van Valen of Bowers and Merena for the January 1995 FUN auction. I actually attended this auction in person as a high school senior and personally viewed (and took notes on) this very coin back then. The auction was a happening, with pieces bringing strong prices and collectors fighting for the chance to own a souvenir from the Commodore's world travels in the first half of the 19th century. This piece, like nearly all from the collection, also comes with an envelope annotated by Lyman Low in 1898 when he appraised the collection. The envelope for this coin misattributes it as a piece from Guatemala -- forgivable considering how few cobs were in the American numismatic marketplace before the great shipwreck and hoard finds of the 20th century. Perry could have acquired this in the West Indies in the 1820s while on pirate patrol -- exciting stuff! I haven't seen a Perry coin on the market in a long time, so I snapped this one up when I had the chance. It sold for $275 back in 1995 as Lot 503 in the January 1995 Bowers and Merena sale (it was even plated). Today it's yours for...Sold

Colombia. 1824 FM one escudo. Popayan mint. AU-55 (PCGS). A highly lustrous medium yellow specimen of a type that should get more attention for its common usage in early America. According to the 1842 Manual of Gold and Silver Coins of All Nations by US Mint officials William E. Dubois and Jacob R. Eckfeldt, "the doubloons [of Colombia] and their fractions are more frequently seen in this country, or at least at this mint, than any other of the class usually called 'patriot,'" the pieces struck in the newly independent nations of Latin America. "They are pretty regular in weight [but] the doubloons of Popayan are decidely inferior." The US Mint assayers of 1842 valued this coin as $1.87, making it essentially a 15 reales piece. Obsolete bank notes are occasionally denominated as 87 1/2 cents and the $1.87.5 denomination was even seen among plugged or regulated gold coins. This piece shows exemplary remaining lustre, choice color, and a better than typical strike. A single tiny nick above the date is the only mark noted. The Eliasberg specimen, earlier ex Clapp, was neither as well struck as this nor as nice overall, despite its AU-58 (NGC) grade. It brought $518 in 2005. Clapp was a picky collector of Latin American gold, which suggests that piece was the best he encountered...Sold

Attractive 1769 Potosi Pillar Dollar

Bolivia. 1769 JR eight reales or Pillar dollar. Potosi mint. EF-45 (PCGS). A scarce grade for this issue, one of just four years of Pillar dollars were issued at Potosi, coined along side cob 8 reales during the same era. Good lustre remains on light silver gray surfaces, lightly toned in gold with peeks of pale blue. The surfaces show light hairlines, but there are no ba marks and the eye appeal is very nice. If you have a goal to get a nice Pillar dollar from as many mint as possible, this would be a fine choice for your Potosi...Sold

A Favored Gift of Captain Cook to Natives

England. 1763 threepence. Choice About Uncirculated. An exemplary little coin, with nice lustre on medium gray surfaces, enlivened with the subtle gold and pastel tones of original old silver. Not a particularly rare coin (though this one is pretty cherry), but one with an interesting and little known sidestory -- this is the issue that Captain James Cook first gave to natives in New Zealand in January 1770. The moment is recounted in Cook's Journals, where he noted he "gave something to everyone present, and the old Man silver threepenny pieces dated 1763" as he left Queen Charlotte's Sound. The various coins and medals distributed by Cook are well catalogued in the out of print "James Cook: His Coins and Medals," a 1969 monograph by Dr. W.J. Mira. While the Resolution and Adventure medals are the most famous of these, there are other numismatic connections to his voyages, including this charming little piece...Sold

Bolivia. 1773 JR four reales. Potosi mint. Choice Fine to Very Fine. Nice original surfaces show deep gray toning with some hints of color on the smooth surfaces. Free of marks or rim nicks, just a little old dirt trapped on the reverse. A choice example of this denomination...Sold

Bolivia. 1687R two reales. Potosi Mint. Extremely Fine. A very sharp and well-detailed cob with attractive old toning and pleasing surfaces. Two dates, two mintmarks, two assayers. I have another more worn 1687R Potosi two reales in stock, and it's interesting to compare how different these coins look. They might make a nice pair. This one is...Sold

Spanish Netherlands. 1624 escalin. Arras mint. Philip IV of Spain. Fine. Nice antique deep silver gray, a bit darker in some recesses. A bit crudely made and misshapen, but pleasing and showing all major devices. The rampant lion on the obverse resembles a smaller version of the Leo Belgicus on the obverse of the Lion dollar, and the 1624 date (the year the first 30 Dutch families settled in New Amsterdam) is plain at the central reverse. The escalin denomination was 1/8 of a patagon or 1/10 of a ducaton, roughly equal to a Spanish two reales. Coins like this could certainly have circulated alongside Lion dollars in early New York, particularly since the production runs of small denominations from the Dutch republics of this era were relatively small. This is a very handsome circulated specimen...Sold

Bolivia. 1694 VR two reales. Potosi mint. Carlos II. Extremely Fine. An interesting, broad, and boldly struck example, showing two obverse mintmarks, POTO of POTOSI, two obverse assay marks and another on the reverse, a good date and two denominations. The sharpness places this among the top echelon of the denomination, though there is a large thin unstruck area at the base of the obverse. A large thick tab above POTO seems to be where the planchet was cut from a larger piece, then flattened. The surfaces are mostly light silver gray, some light blue at the thin tips suggesting long-term envelope storage, and some darker toning or old encrustations forming contrast in the protected areas. Some very minor hairlines are seen in the unstruck portion below the reverse. A very handsome example, a worthy addition to any cob collection...Sold

Mexico. 1767 MF eight reales. Mexico City Mint. Choice Very Fine. Choice dark gray with slightly lighter devices. A beautiful piece for the grade, sharp enough to retain PLUS ULTRA and showing only a few minor scattered marks. A simply ideal circulated Pillar dollar...Sold

High Grade 1602 Irish Penny, as found at Jamestown

Ireland. 1602 penny. Elizabeth I. S-6510. Choice Very Fine. A superb example of this important type. Scarce today, this was apparently a common type in Jamestown in the first decades of the 17th century. According to the Preservation Virginia website, "dozens of Irish coins have been found during the course of excavation," mostly within the original James Fort. This example is far finer than any of those found, with gorgeous deep olive patina and a nice broad planchet. The design is sharp, though the left reverse periphery is soft, and ELIZABETH and the date are complete. This may be the nicest one of these I've had in the last several years, and I have trouble finding them in the marketplace. Given how many were found at Jamestown, it seems likely a quantity of these was specially imported to Virginia in the earliest days of settlement to serve as small change. Wood's Hibernias may get all the attention, but these rare Irish coppers were here first....Sold

Bolivia. 1652 E one real. Potosi mint. Fine. 3.1 grams. Phillip IV, struck after the Potosi mintmaster scandal. PH atop the "checkerboard" pattern, mintmark P, three assayer marks (E), and a date visible on both obverse and reverse. A handsome, if worn, Potosi one real cob from this important date, avidly collected both in connection with the Potosi revaluation scandal and as the first issue date for Massachusetts silver. An old toning spot is present in the northwest obverse, nice old peripheral cabinet toning on light silver gray surfaces...Sold

Mexico. 1730 G eight reales. Mexico City mint. Fine. 26.8 grams. Dusky silver gray with some earthen highlights. The planchet shows some striations in the unstruck areas, but the cross is good and sharp, the mintmark and assayer mark are complete, and the 0 of the date is present, allowing for positive attribution. Phillip V Mexican 8 reales lack a date the vast majority of the time, particularly salvage specimens. This one has a pleasing natural look...Sold

Mexico. 1731/0 MF two reales. Mexico City mint. Fine to Very Fine. 6.6 grams. An unusual little cob two reales, with hints of deep golden toning in the intricacies and lovely deep gray antique silver surfaces on both sides. While most Philip V 2 real cobs lack a date, this one has been centered in such a way that the date -- complete with a naked eye overdate -- and mintmark are bold, along with a good cross on the other side. Calico's 2008 edition places the value of this piece at 300 euros, and the dumpy looking plate piece is nowhere near as nice as this one. A very handsome two-bit cob...Sold

Superb Quality Carlos and Johanna Four Reales, ca. 1542

Mexico. (ca. 1542-55) four reales. Assayer A/G. Mexico City mint. KM-0018, Cal-79. Nesmith-unlisted. Carlos and Johanna, late series. AU-50 (NGC). A round, sharp, choice, toned example of this iconic issue from the first decades of the Mexico City mint. As sharp as any piece graded AU-55 or MS-61 by NGC, prettier than any I've seen, with full detail in areas like the waves, the crown's rosettes, the lions and castles, and other finer elements. While these late series Carlos and Johanna 4 reales are not as rare as the early series types, they are essentially never seen like this. The toning is an even deep gray, found over lively fields than preserve some original mint bloom. It is amazing to ponder that the Mexico City mint could produce a coin like this less than 25 years after Cortez arrived and less than a decade after the primitive mint in Mexico City opened. This piece sold for over $3400 in the November 2006 Ponterio sale, and it recently reappeared in the collection of Jim Jones, a savvy specialist in early Americana who recognized the historic significance of the products of the first American mint. While sharp examples of this issue survive, this one is the creme de la creme...Sold

Genuine 1/5 Section of Eight Reales, cut in Curacao in 1818

Curacao. (1818) 3 reaals on 1/5 section of Ferdinand VII Spanish colonial eight reales. KM-28. Very Fine. 4.3 grams. A nice piece with good light silver gray color and no damage. The countermark is firmly stamped on the reverse. FERD is complete on the obverse. Cut pieces are fascinating – we all know the story of cutting up an eight reales into “pieces of eight” and the word two-bit remains part of the American vernacular. Johann David Schoepf wrote in 1783 that “this divisional method soon led to a profitable business in the hands of skillful cutters, who contrived to make 5 quarters, or 9 and 10 eights” while staying in Annapolis. Thus, these one-fifth official cuts actually roughly approximate many of the “two bits” in American circulation in the era. Official cutting for use as small change was commonplace in the West Indies, and Curacao hung onto the practice longer than most. (In fact, if you’d like examples of the later stamp type, produced ca. 1819-25, I have those in stock as well). I enjoy handling these Curacao pieces, as their shape makes them stand out in a show case and they are good teaching tools for new collectors. They never last long once I put them out, either...Sold

A Beautiful 1815 Half Dollar, of a sort

Peru. 1815 JP four reales. Lima Mint. Choice Very Fine, technically better. Beautiful deep gray toning is highlighted with lustrous deep gold at the rims and a hint of blue at central reverse. The reverse is slightly double struck, though the central obverse is softly defined. Free of significant problems and boasting lovely originality. Four reales are scarcer than their two reales and eight reales brethren; this one should hold special interest for American collectors who value the U.S. half dollars of this year so highly...Sold

Spain. 1776 4 maravedis. Very Fine. Glossy medium brown. A little minor old buildup is present in the reverse recesses. A good looking coin from that "magic date" everyone likes. Spanish coppers turn up in American archaeological contexts on occasion. This coin is almost the exact same size as a half cent, suggesting it would find a natural role in the early American economy...Sold

Rare Cut 8 Reales from Martinique

Martinique. (1798) three escalins. Pridmore-1. Choice Very Fine. Cut from the northeast quadrant of a Carlos IV eight reales of unknown date and mint. 5.9 grams. Choice medium gray with nice undertones of gold and pale blue. Nice detail, most of V[L]TRA visible on the pillar, no bad marks or damage. The edge crenelations look as they should for the issue. A handsome example of this scarce cut West Indies denomination, tracing its provenance to the legendary Roehrs Collection, sold by Dix, Noonan, and Webb in September 2010. While the cut 1/5 8 reales of Curacao are fairly available in the marketplace, these 1/4 cuts from Martinique are much more elusive...Sold

Choice Mint State 1747 Half Joe

Brazil 1747 6400 reis or half joe. Rio mint. MS-63 (PCGS). From the recent StacksBowers offering of the Jim Jones collection, where I described this piece as: "Gem quality cartwheel luster revolves across frosty and even medium yellow gold surfaces. A stunning survivor of this early type, far scarcer in this advanced grade than the pieces struck by Jose I in the 1750s and 1760s. Only the most faint hairlines are noted, not to be confused with the abundant raised die finish lines visible in the obverse fields. A little soft at centers but otherwise very sharp. This is a truly impressive grade for one of the type, one that was well recognized by the moneymen of coastal British North America. Variously called a "Joe" or a "Half Joe" throughout early America, standard weight examples of this denomination circulated at $8 in the 18th century. By late century, most were underweight from clipping or commercial filing and re-edging operations. Few survive this beautiful today, particularly of this design type. Even more vital to British-American commerce in the 18th century than the 8 escudos and its fractions, the half Joe serves an important place in early American coin collections today." I sold this piece to Jim after buying it for $2,990 in the May 2008 Long Beach sale. While a small hoard of Mint State Jose I half Joes of the 1750s and 1760s has come out recently, selling for mid to high four figures, these Joao V pieces remain rare in real Mint State. A 1750 half Joe in MS-65 (NGC) brought over $10,000 in a recent Heritage sale. A poorly struck 1749 in AU-58 (NGC) brought $2,070 in a Heritage sale a year earlier. This piece obviously occupies the space in between, a choice and highly lustrous example of this important type...Sold

Spain. 1781 PJ four reales or double pistareen. Madrid mint. Choice Fine to Very Fine. A pretty much perfect circulated example of this scarce denomination. The surfaces are pleasing even gray with a hint of gold, lighter on the devices than the contrasting fields. If you wanted to be really picky, you could look for a find a minuscule rim bruise at 9:00 on the reverse, but it might take a moment. Head pistareens of Carlos III are fairly scarce, but double pistareens like this are even more so. It is a pleasant coincidence that this piece was struck the year of the Battle of Yorktown, won with the help of Spain as an ally...Sold

Rare and Distinctive 1811 Catalonia One Real Brockage

Spain. 1811 one real. Catalunya mint. Ferdinand VII in exile. Cal-1094. Full obverse brockage. Choice Fine or better. A rare, one year type coin with the compounded rarity of an extremely bold striking error. Despite soft striking on the portrait, the normally struck obverse shows excellent eye appeal, with lightly toned pale gray surfaces. The reverse shows a deeply impressed brockage of the obverse, with a sharp incuse portrait, full legends, and lively attractive surfaces. Any one real issue from this mint-in-exile of Ferdinand VII is scarce, with this denomination struck only in 1811. Calico lists two varieties, of which this is the scarce, with a nominal value of 300 euros. I can't imagine many brockages exist; I've certainly never seen one before. This error, caused when a struck coin clings to a die and becomes a striking surface for the next impression, is perhaps the most popular of the striking errors types. A brockage as distinctive as this could be a collection centerpiece...Sold

JAS. S. BRADLEY / GILDER & FRAME / MAKER / 154 Wm. St. N.Y. countermark on Mexico 1779 two reales, Mexico City mint. Brunk B-1025. Very Fine. An unusually nice example of this admittedly oft-seen countermark, usually seen on totally wiped out two reales or Seated quarters. This is an exceptionally strong mark, complete and well-centered, on a decent grade, nicely toned two reales of Carlos III. A little plaque on the cheek of Carlos pre-dates the counterstamping. Bradley was a painting and picture frame dealer at the corner of William and Ann Streets in downtown Manhattan, active in the mid-1850s when coins like this were nearing the end of their legal stay in circulation. This is the prettiest example of Bradley's mark I've owned...Sold

Choice Mint State Dutch Silver Rider

Netherlands, Utrecht. 1765 silver rider or ducatoon. Davenport-1832. MS-64 (NGC). Bright and bold cartwheel lustre swirls on both obverse and reverse. While the obverse picture shows the detail but not the surface reflectivity and lustre, the reverse photograph better suggests the surface quality. Very nicely struck, dusky golden-gray toning on chiefly brilliant surfaces, some trivial hairlines and a tiny as-struck rim flaw below 9:00 noted. The line on the obverse photo left of the shield of Utrecht is a reflection off the slab. This is the largest and most impressive of the Dutch silver crowns found in early American pockets, where it could have arrived via trading with the Dutch directly, in the West Indies, or even in the Dutch East Indies. In 1789, the Astrea of Captain Elias Hasket Derby became the first American vessel to voyage to Batavia. A decade later, Captain Edward Preble took the helm of the USS Essex as it accompanied a fleet of American merchant ships to the Dutch East Indies, a globe-trotting prelude to his now legendary trip to Tripoli. Such trips would have yielded coins like this one, though perhaps then lacking the gleam of this specimen. This piece brought $2,070 in the September 2008 Heritage sale of the Dr. Patrick Tan Collection...Sold

Beautifully Toned 1622 Lion Dollar

Netherlands, West Friesland. 1622 lion dollar. About Uncirculated. An impressive array of gold, pastel blue, and deep amber toning covers both obverse and reverse, with strong lustre apparent at the peripheries and still present in protected areas. Fairly well struck, no significant flaws, some minor wispy hairlines but absolutely magnificent eye appeal for a lion dollar. From the same collection as the 1652 Campen piece above, this is perhaps the most beautifully toned from the group. This piece hit circulation just as New Amsterdam was starting to see significant Dutch settlement, and for the next century, this type was the most common crown in New Amsterdam/New York. Called "dog dollars" by the populace, they saw wide circulation in North America, from the Bay of Maine to the Chesapeake. I've handled more than my fair share of nice lion dollars, and I don't think I've ever had one with toning as pretty as this...Sold

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. JONES EXCHANGE HOTEL counterstamp on Peru 1782 MI Lima 2 reales. Brunk J-184. Very Fine. A sharp, bold mark on a glossy, choice coin. Deep silver gray and very attractive. The mark JONES EXCHANGE HOTEL / 77 DOCK ST / PHILA is well defined but for slight weakness on ES of JONES. A popular mid-19th century advertising countermark, and an unquestionably genuine and worn piece. There are variants of this mark, often found on blank brass discs, whose potential authenticity has always bothered me. This one doesn't bother me in the least. It once graced the Anthony Terranova Collection, sold by Stack's in October 2010, and is accompanied by his envelope. A contemporary description of the hotel may be found here and two good images are posted here...Sold

Toned, Prooflike Bolivia 1774 Eight Reales

Bolivia. 1774 JR eight reales. Potosi Mint. AU-58 (NGC). A coin that bridges the gap from the crudity of Spain's colonial Andean mint to the look and surface quality of a mint like San Francisco or Carson City. The obverse is fully, deeply prooflike, with frosted devices that stand out in alarming detail. The centering is ideal and the peripheral dentils are sharp and complete. The reverse shows both a reflective and cartwheeling quality, and the devices are struck with the same exceptional detail, down to the complete PLUS ULTRA on the pillars. Both sides are pleasantly toned in old silver gray, with plenty of brilliance shining forth, particularly at peripheries. This piece comes from a small hoard found in the early 1970s. I've handled several pieces from the hoard, with grades up to MS-65, and this is of the same or better quality as most of the Mint State pieces. What makes it distinctive is its toning -- most pieces of this hoard of 1881-Sesque brilliance, utterly lacking toning. This piece is more attractive and more natural in appearance; it also happens to be less expensive than any of the Uncs I've handled...Sold

1760 Lima, Peru Carlos III Proclamation medal. Silver, 37 mm. Betts-469. Extremely Fine. Lustrous medium silver gray with beautiful old golden undertones and hints of pale blue and violet at obverse peripheries. Excellent flash and originality. An old scrape is present under the bust truncation, otherwise free of significant marks. Unholed. A popular medallic four reales, included in the Betts book on early American medals. Its distinctive design would make it a standout in a collection of Spanish colonial silver...Sold

Fascinating and Substantial 8 Reales Clump from El Cazador, 1784

(1784) clump of 14 eight reales from the wreck of the El Cazador. As found. A rustic and oddly beautiful clump, a stable and nicely encrustrated tumbled stack of Mexican 8 reales, probably dated 1783. Little design is visible, but the coins are easily counted and readily identified. The El Cazador sank on its way to New Orleans just after the end of the American Revolution, and its salvage yielded a large haul of principally Mexico 8 reales, along with a quantity of minors. A number of small clumps like this hit the market, but most are either fairly crumbly or not terribly attractive. This one has a nice little underwater art look to it. While clumps are known in the marketplace from a variety of shipwrecks, the El Cazador is the only such wreck that has a close connection to early North America...Sold

Guatemala. 1776 P two reales. Guatemala mint. About Very Fine. An attractive and original example from this popular, scarce colonial mint. This was the last year of the G mintmark, found on only three dates of portrait 2 reales, before NG (for Nueva Guatemala) became the standard with the resumption of coining in 1779. A major earthquake in 1773 destroyed most of the city now called Antiqua Guatemala or "Old Guatemala," and the order came from the King not to rebuild on that spot. The new capital, present-day Guatemala City, was occupied in 1776, making this the final issue from the old city. This short-lived type is illustrated in Calico with a well worn example. This piece shows beautiful light toning over the old gray surfaces. The die has sunk around the portrait, with a heavy internal break in the upper right obverse field. The soft central strike makes grading difficult, but technically this is at least Very Fine and maybe better. Some light old scratches between the nose and the internal break are toned over and have the feel of some shopkeeper poking at the raised metal trying to figure out if it was lead solder or something. I usually loathe scratches but these don't especially bother me, especially on such a tough coin. If you have any designs of putting together a mint set of two reales from the magic year of 1776, this would be pretty tough to improve upon...Sold

France. 1779 A 1/10 ecu or 12 sols. Paris mint. Louis XV. Choice About Uncirculated. Highly attractive and original deep gray and golden toning, with frosty lustre apparent on both sides. Excellent quality, a bit softly struck at central reverse opposite the highest point of Louis's bust. Struck during the American Revolution, this type would have seen ready circulation in early America. As seen on the 1806 chart of Congressionally approved values in the coin scale on my Numismatic:Other page, French ecus circulated in that era as 110 cents, making this an 11 cent piece. One can imagine a consumer of the era accepting it as a dime in change in one transaction and fancying himself a savvy investor passing it as a one real later. By 1806, few of these would have looked this nice...Sold

Mexico. 1807 TH eight reales. Mexico City mint. AU-50 (NGC). Slabbed a long time ago by NGC, ca. 1995, when the ANA had just adopted that modernistic eagle-from-coin logo. Magnificently toned, with the sort of rainbow tones visible in the brightest part of the photo present all over the obverse, more subtle on the reverse. Good lustre on both sides, obverse a bit prooflike. Very attractive, only the most minor hairlines or handling, probably undergraded by five points by current standards. Gorgeously toned eight reales always sell readily...Sold

Spain. 1732 PA two reales or pistareen. Seville mint. Choice Extremely Fine. Traces of lustre and light golden toning grace nice quality surfaces. Good detail, some minor old hairlines, evenly struck. This type was coined on a screw press at Seville, not a roller press as seen on earlier pistareen issues. The pistareen and its cut fractions was perhaps the most common small silver coin in the Middle Colonies in the 18th century, particularly in Maryland and Virginia. The year this coin was struck, a man was born in Westmoreland County, Virginia who went on to become the first President of the United States...Sold

Portugal. 1738 6400 reis or half Joe. Lisbon mint. Very Fine. 199.7 grains, or 8 pennyweights, 7 2/3 grains. Clipped and fraudulently re-edged, or "re-Castainganated" during its circulating life. Nice rich yellow gold with some minor hairlines and a single short old scratch under NE of JOANNES. Clipped down to the very nub of the denticles on both sides, about 16 grains under the post-Revolutionary standard common throughout North America and 19 grains under the pre-Revolutionary standard. Clipped, underweight half Joes like this were the reason plugging and regulating became a widespread phenomenon throughout North America and the West Indies in the 1750-1790 era. The half Joe was the single most prominent gold coin in the early American economy, and this gently circulated and notably clipped example serves not only to display this type, but also one of the chief problems with its use in colonial America...Sold

Danish West Indies. 1767 12 skillings. Altona Mint, struck 1795 and 1800. Fine to Very Fine. Light silver gray with some deeper toning at peripheries. Good eye appeal, though the obverse shows some light planchet striations and a batch is present at the softly struck low spot at central reverse. Striations are par for the course on this issue, and though not impossible to find a piece without them, they're rare. Demand for DWI colonial issues, struck in the 18th century for the islands that became the US Virgin Islands in 1917, has increased a great deal in the last few years; witness the nice VF specimen of this same issue that hammered at $650 (plus 18%) in a US sale last month. I try to buy these when I can find them, though finding ones nicer than this has been a real challenge. It's not perfect, but the relevance of this issue to early American history (it says AMERICANSK on it!) and the scarcity of nice pieces in the marketplace make it well worth...Sold

Scarce 1578 Half Lion Dollar, As Circulated in early New York

Holland. 1578 half lion dollar. Delmonte-870. Very Fine. A pleasing example of this scarce issue, dozens (hundreds?) of times rarer than its crown-sized compatriot. Light silver gray with just a hint of frost, toned to medium gray on devices. A low spot in the left obverse field shows some softness of strike and some pre-striking planchet fissures. No post-striking flaws are noted, the planchet is nice and round, and the eye appeal is good for the grade. I'd still be able to look you in the eye if I sold this as an Extremely Fine. Examples of this denomination circulated alongside lion dollars in early America, as proven by the presence of half lion dollars among the treasure of the HMS Feversham, a numismatic time capsule from New York in 1711. Lion dollars have become popular inclusions in collections of early American coins, and so too should half lions...Sold

France / John Law. 1720 BB liard. Strasbourg Mint. Choice Very Fine. Rich chocolate brown with simply ideal glossy surfaces. This is definitely the most problem free VF I've ever seen, and I've only seen four or five better ones. I collected French colonials and associated issues for about a decade before I ever "went pro," so I sought these things out -- they just don't exist choice. While not properly a French colonial coin, this year has been collected since the 19th century for its association with the notorious Scottish financier John Law. Law controlled the French mints from December 1719 until January 1721, making 1720-dated coins the only surefire numismatic tie to his Mississippi Bubble scheme. This type would have found ready circulation in both French and British America in the 18th century, and I'm sure some made their way here. This one is unimproveably pretty...Sold

Mexico. 1788 FM eight reales. Mexico City mint. AU-58 (PCGS). Briliant and lustrous, with just the merest hints of light toning. Flashy and lustrous, particularly prooflike on the reverse, some hairlines and light marks but attractive overall. This piece comes from the same Haitian hoard as the 1786 eight reales above. Both of these are in the top 10% of the specimens I've seen...Sold

Beautiful 1794 Eight Reales

Mexico. 1794 FM eight reales. Mexico City mint. AU-58 (PCGS). A beautiful and choice example, with rich luster still reflecting from brilliant fields, decoratively and subtly toned with deeper gray highlights and gold-amber near the rims. Cartwheel luster remains on both sides, well struck and nicely detailed. Some light striking striations are present at the crown on the reverse. Nicely original, a scarce near Mint survivor from a non-hoard date...Sold

Mexico. 1786 FF two reales. Mexico City Mint. AU-55 (NGC). Beautiful golden lustrous highlights peek out from deep antique silver gray surfaces. Great color, detail, and eye appeal. Die broken behind Carlos's head, clash visible at right obverse peripheral, surfaces show minor handling but are nice for the grade. A very handsome type coin...Sold

Spain. 1737 IP real or half pistareen. Seville Mint. EF-45 (NGC). A beautifully toned example, with an amazing range of color on lustrous surfaces. Deep gold, paler champagne, pastel blue, deep purple, and royal blue, all toned that gathered while sitting in a paper envelope for literally decades in an old-time dealer's stock until this piece and a handful like it came to the market a few years ago. This type saw frequent circulation in early America, and half-cut "five cent pieces" are often found by metal detectorists around the Chesapeake. I'm not sure I've ever owned a prettier example...Sold

Mexico. 1765 M two reales. Mexico City Mint. Choice Extremely Fine. A beautifully original Pillar two reales, with dark toning over lively, pleasing surfaces. Some light golden highlights surround the devices, but the fields on both sides are an even dark blue-gray that bespeaks benign neglect for a century or two. A classic type, the "two bits" and proto-quarter dollar of early America. Tales of the preponderance of coins such as this have been well promugated, and early quarter collectors often attribute the small mintages of US Mint quarters to the large numbers of two reales then circulating. Because of their workhorse status, high grade Pillar two reales are very tough to find -- even though four reales are rarer overall, I've found that two reales are the least frequently encountered in Mint State of all the Pillar types. This one isn't Unc, but it's not much worn. PLUS ULTRA is complete, the rims are intact, and no bad marks are seen. This would be a fine type piece in a carefully selected denomination set...Sold

Isles du Vent / Windward Islands. 1731 H 6 sols. La Rochelle mint. About Uncirculated. Richly and deeply toned with dark gray surfaces and light gray-blue lustre around the reverse legends. Choice and original, one tiny little rim nick above X of REX is infinitesimal. These tiny 6 and 12 sols silver coins were struck for the islands known to the English as the Windward Islands or Lesser Antilles -- places like Martinique, Saint Martin, Grenada, and Guadeloupe. Perhaps because of the frequency of trade with these places through the 18th century, the coins of Isles du Vent turn up in American soil, particularly in the mid-Atlantic region. Low grade coins are the rule in the marketplace, when they do turn up. This one brought $632.50 in 2007 (ticket still accompanies the coin)...Sold

England. 1746 halfpenny. MS-62BN (PCGS). I bought this in a green label MS-62 holder, took one look at it, knew it was at least a 63 since it had great color and no serious marks, and cracked it out. It looks great raw, with lively luster and perfect chocolate brown color with a hint of red in protected areas, particularly at GEORGIVS. The Gods of Plastic spoke, and it came back a 62 again. I think it’s nicer, and I think anyone who bought it expecting a 63-quality coin would be pleased with it...Sold

Treasure from the 1725 Wreck of Le Chameau, Rare Date 1724-A Ecu

France. 1724-A ecu. Paris Mint. Uncirculated, but seaworn. Pale silver, an even and unnatural tone from post-salvage cleaning, but not bright or polished. While corroded, particularly in a patch at Louis' face, this piece is sharper than 95% of Chameau salvage ecus I've seen. It even retains most of its edge lettering, all traces of which are worn off on most examples from the wreck. Beyond its fine quality (which was its initial attraction to me), it turns out that the 1724-A mintmark combination is very rare: Breen had never seen one, and I don't recall ever seeing one before either. Most Chameau ecus are darkened lumps with just a suggestion of visible detail. This one is far nicer...Sold

Beautiful Chocolate Brown 1737 Irish Halfpenny

Ireland. 1737 halfpenny. George II. AU-55 (PCGS). Pretty much perfect. It's free of marks and shows the most even, choice, dark chocolate brown color you can imagine. It's also hard and glossy. If I had to mention a problem, there is a tiny mark under N in HIBERNIA. Aside from that, you have to be looking for a problem and having a bad day to think this is anything less than really nice. This is an ideal issue for inclusion in an American cabinet. A specimen of this date was among the half dozen genuine Irish halfpence found in the Philadelphia Highway Coin Find in 1975 when I-95 plowed over Philly's historic waterfront (not that I'm bitter). Further, it's just plain tough to find nice -- a look in the Stack's archive for the last several years finds more 1737 Higleys than 1737 Irish halfpence, and I didn't see one better than well circulated, aside from the proofs. A pinscratched raw AU brought $322 in 2008. I can't recall ever seeing a business strike Unc on the market...Sold

Ireland. 1603-04 sixpence of James I. Bell privy mark. VF-35 (NGC). A choice example, showing a bold portrait for this usually shallowly struck issue. Lovely light blue and gold toning on old silver gray surfaces. Some highly localized weakness is present below the reverse crown, no nicks or scratches, not wavy like many of these coins. Plenty of Irish coppers of this era have turned up at Jamestown (particularly the 1601-02 pennies) and English sixpence of Elizabeth I and James VI commonly emerge from Virginia soil. This type, much scarcer than its English counterpart, likely saw some cameo appearances on this side of the Atlantic too. Nice for one of these...Sold

Cayenne, French Guiana, South America. 1789 2 sous. AU-58 (NGC). Good luster encircles the original “silvering” (actually tinning), and a hint of copper color shows on the highpoints. Choice and very attractive. Though these coins are pretty common (email me if you want to buy a circulated example for $100), nice high grade coins are not generally available. A good percentage of this type ended up countermarked by one of the various French islands in the West Indies and, by extension, in the coastal cities that depended upon trade with the West Indies – from Galveston to Baltimore. It’s a natural extension of the sou marque series, and the two issues likely circulated side by side in Canada. Cayenne (yes, the pepper is named for it) is the capital city of French Guiana, about 100 miles from the northernmost border of Brazil. Its position on the northeastern tip of the continent made it a rich trade port in this era. All that commerce left very few Mint State coins for future collectors...Sold

Mexico / Love Token. 1776 FM one real, engraved EP 1799 in fancy script on the obverse. Fine or better, engraving sharper. Nice two-tone old silver gray with deep gray fields enlivened with pastel blue and violet in the right light. Very nicely engraved in a florid 18th century hand, perhaps by an early fan of Elvis Presley. The two "magic dates" on this piece - 1799 was the year of Washington's death, not to mention a key large cent date - make it a particularly interesting love token...Sold

Jamaica. (1758) five pence, countermarked on a Peru 1/2 real of 1756. Very Fine. Glossy dark gray, pleasing and even, with lighter devices. An original and nicely circulated example of this scarce British-issued countermark. Both countermarks have complete circular outlines, and the reverse one is particularly bold. A little dent at NU of UNUM is the only notable flaw. Interest in the cut and countermarked issues of the West Indies continues to grow, as does the understanding that the West Indies were a vital part of American commerce, both before and after the Declaration of Independence. It's getting harder to buy these Jamaican countermarks: a decent looking real, maybe a little nicer than this coin, brought $862.50 against an estimate of $200 in the January 2011 NYINC sale, for instance. A good percentage of those I see are cleaned or damaged, so it's nice to be able to offer a pretty decent looking one...Sold

Bolivia. 1687-VR. Potosi Mint. Choice Fine. Well struck on an unusually broad planchet, with two full dates, one and a half assayer marks, and bold reverse denomination and mintmark. In the fashion of colonial coin painted die varieties, "2R" was neatly inked once upon a time atop the obverse, something I didn't even notice (it's really faint) until photographing this piece. A very nice, attractive cob with great color...Sold

Gem AU 1805 Eight Reales with Beautiful Color

Mexico. 1805 TH eight reales. Mexico City Mint. AU-55 (NGC). A simply beautiful piece, with rich lustre on both sides, profound reflectivity on the reverse, and superb detail. The obverse is richly toned in deep gray, bold gold and and amber at the rims, and pastel blue in the fields. The reverse is more "bulls-eye" in form, with a pale blue center surrounded by a ring of champagne that turns to deep gold. I really like choice eight reales in choice AU, and I tend to handle quite a few of them. This is as pretty as any of the ones I've sold in the last few years...Sold

Spanish Netherlands, Brabant. 1619 ducaton. Dav-4428. Antwerp Mint. Choice Extremely Fine. Gold and pastel blue highlights grace silver gray surfaces. Very little wear is present, and the jugate busts of Albert and Isabella are sharply defined. Some minor marks, light hairlines, a trifle bright from a long forgotten wiping. This large crown competed with, and circulated alongside of, Lion dollars in Europe and America. This scarce type was struck for just a few years and is rarely encountered in attractive condition. This one would be very tough to improve upon...Sold

Flip-Over Double Struck 1714 Escudo from the Fleet of 1715

Mexico. 1714 J one escudo. Mexico City mint. Choice Mint State. Bright light yellow gold with the typical sedate glowing lustre of the Fleet of 1715 survivors. This is the kind of quality the grading services usually call MS-63. This piece shows a complete date, bold mintmark and assayer, and a strong shield. The cross is a bit muddled from the presence of a shield struck earlier, a very interesting error on a gold coin, rare but not unheard of. This is a beautiful small coin from this famous series of wrecks whose appeal never seems to fade...Sold

Bolivia. 1780PR 8 reales. Potosi Mint. AU-58 (NGC). Brilliant and untoned with abundant original lustre. The cartwheel is intact on the obverse, just interrupted amidst light central friction. The reverse is more prooflike and is of nice Mint State quality judged alone. Some light hairlines are typical of the grade. This piece was probably found in a hoard and was lightly cleaned upon discovery; coins from such hoards are often found encrusted but appear like this when the crust is removed. This is more attractive than most such pieces, with bright lustre and flash and not a trace of corrosion...Sold

1775 Mexico two reales counterstamped H. SAGE. Brunk-35570 (or Brunk S-88, new edition). Very Good, mark better. This is the Brunk plate coin. The book also cites an 1806 half dollar, and an 1830 half dollar in the Terranova Collection (Stack's, September 2010) also had this mark. It is perhaps the mark of Henry Sage, a silversmith who worked in Circleville, Ohio in the 1850s. This is a rare countermark, yet it's in Brunk, which is seemingly more attractive than a maverick so rare that it's unlisted. I've always liked countermarked foreign coins better than American ones, as they offer information of just what foreign types circulated in America, and in what proportions. Lots of two reales are marked, a prime indication of the primacy the "two bit" denomination had among silver coins in early American pockets...Sold

When counterfeiters aren't numismatists: the Colombian equivalent of a 1921 Indian cent

Colombia. "1848" FM imitation 1 escudo. "Popayan" mint. Choice Fine. 3.22 grams, 20 mm. Wholly original, with fine light green toning on not-quite-gold yellow surfaces. Probably 14 karat or so. Struck from same obverse die as Eliasberg (2005): 1609, described by an extremely good looking numismatist with a funny last name as "Struck from crude handmade dies, dated in 1848 but imitating a type that was last struck in 1836! The E of the denomination is upside down. An amateurish circulating counterfeit." That coin was a bit more worn and had a long test scratch down the left obverse field. This one has a reverse that is slightly double struck. This reverse die does not have an upside down E, but is similarly crude overall. This is the only other example of this circulating counterfeit I've seen aside from the Clapp-Eliasberg coin. Charming, cool, and precisely the kind of thing that could have circulated in (or been made in) early America...Sold

Dominica. (1798) 1 1/2 bitts or "moco." Pridmore-22, KM-1. Silver, 48 grains. Choice Extremely Fine. An exceptionally nice and problem-free specimen of this usually worn or scratched West Indian issue. Produced from punching out a hole from the center of a Spanish colonial 8 reales that had been flattened, this issue was much counterfeited at the time. This example shows superb die work, the standard 15 crenulations at the edge, and is full statutory weight. The quality of this piece is better than either of the Roehrs examples and just about every other piece on the market in the last few years. Dominica is south of Guadeloupe and north of Martinique. In 1798, the British island was the destination for John Barry's squadron, including the USS George Washington and the USS Constitution, during the Quasi War with France. One wonders what American sailors thought of the bizarrely mutilated coinage they found upon their arrival...Sold

A High Grade Specimen of a Scarce Early Pistareen Type

Spain. 1627 two reales. Segovia Mint. About Uncirculated. Phillip IV, struck on roller dies at the still-standing mint in Segovia. Unpriced in KM above EF, this type is scarce in any grade and highly elusive like this: with light periperal toning and traces of lustre on the silver gray surfaces. This type does not come highly lustrous, since it was really squeezed rather than struck, but this one is certainly lively. The reverse is ideally centered, the obverse is complete if a bit misaligned due to roller misalignment. The later versions of this type, coined in the early 18th century, became the most commonly encountered silver coin in the Middle Colonies, particularly so when cut into quarters and halves. Jefferson even decided on a dime as the keystone of the decimal coinage system since it was equal to a half pistareen, which he called "perfectly familiar to us all." This is nice enough that anyone assembling a set of pistareens by monarch or mint would never have to upgrade this one...Sold

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1837 Province of Lower Canada halfpenny bank token. Full obverse brockage. Fine, holed. Even 1840s Canadians thought errors were cool; one thought this was cool enough to pierce and wear, or carry as a watch fob. It's well worn, and there are a few minor old rim dents, and some dirt might have been removed from around the standing figure on the normally struck side, but it's still pretty nice looking for the grade. Brockages are perhaps the most avidly collected of all major striking errors (let's face it: they look neat), and even low grade ones get attention...Sold

Mexico. (ca. 1621-65) four reales of Phillip IV. Mexico City Mint. P Assayer. Fine to Very Fine. Nice natural antique silver gray with some contrasting earthen highlights. The mintmark and assayer are very bold on the reverse, the denomination is affected by a planchet split. A pleasing four reales cob, a classic early type...Sold

France / John Law. 1720 sol. Strasbourg (BB) mint. Nice Very Fine. Fairly smooth and very pleasing, dusky light brown on the obverse and even chocolate brown on the reverse. There is a die crack within the shield on the reverse. This denomination, listed in the Redbook and long collected in American cabinets, is tough to find nice. Most look like total garbage. This one is a lot nicer than that. Its collectibility comes from the American relevance of John Law of Mississippi Bubble fame. He controlled the French mints from December 1719 to January 1721, making 1720-dated coins the only real "John Law" coins. The insinuations that these coins were distributed in America officially is, so far, not proven in the documents, though colonial 9 deniers coppers were shipped to Nouvelle France in 1721. This denomination would have fit into the American scheme as a "copper" and undoubtedly many reached our shores...Sold

High Quality 1721 Pistareen

Spain. 1721-R two reales or pistareen. Segovia Mint. Choice About Uncirculated. Just a very nice pistareen, with sedate old toning and frosty lustre in a melange of old gray and subtle pastels. A little mint-produced rim flaw at I of HISPAN does little to detract. I just bought this from a European dealer and didn't bother slabbing it. Maybe they'd call it Unc, maybe just AU. In a holder, it would be more difficult to discern the difference in quality between this and the typical slabbed pistareen in that grade range -- rarely are AU pistareens this pleasing and problem-free...Sold

Fascinating Flip-Over Double Struck 1 Escudo Cob

Colombia. Bogota. (ca. 1700) 1 escudo cob. Monarch indiscernible (at least by me). About Uncirculated. 3.32 grams, full weight. A high grade and pleasing little cob, nearly round and extremely sharp. This one was struck off center once, flipped over, and then missed again, resulting in a mismash of cross and shield that makes this piece especially fun to study. A fun little piece, one that wouldn't have raised an eyebrow in early America as long as it weighed correctly...Sold

Peru, Lima. 1776 MJ 1/2 real. Very Good. Just a nice choice circulated example with medium gray surfaces. Sold

Bolivia 1776 4 Reales

Bolivia, Potosi. 1776 JR 4 reales. Choice Fine. A handsome circulated example of the toughest part of a 1776-dated denomination set. Light gray with some olive toning at the obverse periphery, more colorful on the reverse with faint gold and bold green-blue at the right side. A very thin scratch over the head is the only problem to note...Sold

England. 1703 VIGO half crown. Queen Anne. Choice Very Fine. Glossy deep golden gray surfaces are lively and beautifully toned, free of major marks or the oft-seen planchet striations. A little rim push at 6:00 on the reverse doesn't affect the eye appeal much. The Vigo issues of 1702 and 1703 commemorate the French and Spanish treasure fleet that was pushed ashore at the Spanish port of Vigo by the Royal Navy. The American origin point of the Spanish treasure and fleet, which left from Vera Cruz in Mexico in June 1702, induced Betts to place the Vigo-related medals in his work on medals of early America, and the coins have likewise often been sought by collectors of early American coins. This attractive piece was once in the collection of Vermont copper specialist Roy Bonjour...Sold

Scotland. James VI (1567-1625) 2 shillings. S.5509. AU-53 (PCGS). Lustrous silver gray with some deeper blue and green tones at the peripheries, along with a bit of old encrustation among a few letters of the reverse legend. A sharp specimen of this little coin, not unlike some of the other small silver issues of James I (of England, same guy) found at Jamestown. Plenty of 17th century Scottish coins have turned up among the area of Virginia's earliest settlements. It is no accident that the tiny wharf community across the James River from Jamestown, near Smith's Fort and Bacon's Castle, was named Scotland. This two shillings is similar size to an English halfgroat (Yes, the Scottish denominational system of the era was a bit odd), weighing just about a gram...Sold

(1810) Spain / Colonies Two Reales portrait master die. Steel, 62 mm tall, 56 mm across the octagonal face from side to side. Stamped three times on its face, 1810 with the Candiz mintmark at top, the portrait of Ferdinand VII to be stamped into working hubs to create dies for two reales at center, and the engraver’s F.(elix) SAGAU F(ecit). Lightly oxidized across the once polished face, but smooth and free from corrosion. The rough hewn base probably looks about like it did when new, if slightly more oxidized now. The whole tool is undamaged and the fine details are very sharp. It would take nothing more than a little polishing to put this master die right back into production. The portrait is incuse on this tool; it would be used to produce the hub from which working dies would be created.
Mint artifacts – from Europe or elsewhere – are very rare from this period. The number of coining dies that survive from the first quarter of the 19th century is small (though medal dies seems somewhat more numerous). A similar artifact, a portrait master die for a ½ real of Carlos IV, was recently found in Guatemala and sold in Sedwick Treasure Auction #7 in April 2010. This may have been from the same cache, though it was purchased in a Spanish auction. These portrait puncheons were produced from a single master punch so as to standardize the portrait on all coins of the same denomination from every Spanish mint, both mainland and colonial. This master die could have been used in any of those mints. This would be a dramatic and educational addition to a collection of two reales, or any other coins of the 18th or 19th centuries that would have used similar hubbing technology – anything from Connecticut coppers to Bust halves. Its size and heft gives it the in hand feel of a substantial paperweight...Sold

Netherlands. Kampen. 1677 Lion dollar. EF-45 (NGC). A fascinating flip-over double strike – the first major error I’ve ever seen on this popular early American-associated type. The surfaces are brilliant and largely lustrous, probably suggesting recovery from one of the decent sized hoards of Lion dollars that turn up, usually in the eastern Mediterranean. These world trade coins were, of course, used in early America, particularly in Dutch areas such as Hudson and Delaware River valleys. This piece was struck just three years after the Dutch gave up title to Nieu Amsterdam for the last time. The double striking is bold on both sides. High quality, eye catching, and historic...Sold

A 1601 Irish Penny, Scarce Everywhere But Jamestown

Ireland. 1601 penny. Copper. Very Fine. Even dark olive patina, like most of this type I've seen. Fairly well centered on the tiny (16 mm) planchet, harp and date sharp at central obverse, ELIZABETH complete on reverse. Struck for only two years, these crude pennies were a shoddy stepcousin of the small silver coins struck for use in England. They were not well loved in Ireland, and it appears that substantial numbers were shipped to America, much like the St. Patrick's coppers and Wood's Hibernias were decades later. Dozens have been found at the Jamestown digs, with this new archaeological evidence placing them in the canon of must-have 17th century types used in early America. I buy every one I can find, which isn't many, and they always sell quickly...Sold

England. 1695 crown. William III. Choice Fine. Nice deep glossy dark gray. No serious marks despite years of circulation, some minor slide marks, really an impressively problem-free coin for the grade. The English crown was one of just five coins on the list of silver coins approved by the Resolution of Congress on September 2, 1776; the others were the French ecu, the Spanish eight reales, the shilling, and the sixpence. This type was undoubtedly one of the ones that made it to America, and smaller silver coins of William III often turn up in early to mid 18th century archaeological contexts...Sold

Mint State 1727 Pistareen

Spain. 1727 F pistareen two reales. Segovia Mint. MS-63 (NGC). Frosty silver lustre is pervasive on both sides, with just light toning present. The natural curvature of both sides is intact, and the strike is sharp, though the obverse is aligned to 7:00. Neither service quite knows how to grade these things. The surfaces are almost always striated, a manifestation of die wear on roller dies, and the curvature is unlike 99.999% of the coins that cross their desks. The best pistareen I ever saw, a precious gem with flawless surfaces and full lustre, was graded MS-60 by a major service. Go figure. This one is graded MS-63, which I guess is about right, though there are no marks, cleaning or flaws that might keep it from a higher grade. Pistareens aren't rare. They were struck in large quantities and circulated widely, most notably in the American Middle Colonies and the West Indies. Those that circulated into the 1850s (and beyond) at five-to-the-dollar ended up nearly slick. Nice circulated pieces can be found, but real Mint State coins are rare. There were few foreign coins more common in early America (Jefferson called them "perfectly familiar to us all"), and this high grade piece would faithfully represent this type in a connoisseur quality collection...Sold

A Choice Ecu of Louis XVI

France. 1785 K ecu. Bordeaux Mint. AU-58 (PCGS). While technically accurate (there is indeed a hint of rub on the curl above Louis' ear), this grade minimizes the astounding preservation of this coin. Light golden toning graces the fully lustrous fields, particularly even and rich on the reverse. The reverse is fully prooflike, while the somewhat reflective obverse shows a remarkable degree of cartwheel. A minor batch of hairlines is present in the left obverse field. Fully detailed and beautiful, this is a superlative example of a type that is challenging in top grade. Poke around the auction records. Most of the slabbed Uncs are either, ahem, lacking in originality, or they are poorly made coins, with bad adjustment marks or strike problems, etc. There are very few coins like this in the marketplace. A batch of French ecus were turned into the first 1794 half dollars at the Philadelphia Mint; maybe that's where all the pretty ones went?...Sold

Netherlands, Holland. 1589 Lion dollar. Choice Very Fine. An especially sharply struck Lion dollar, with nice old silver gray surfaces that do not show the usual hairlines of hoard-find Lion dollars. Round and attractive, a single tiny pit on the reverse periphery at 4:00, tiny flaw (apparently as struck, not a nick) atop reverse rim at 12:00. Though there is light wear, this is sharper than a significant percentage of higher grade coins by virtue of its strike. An excellent type coin...Sold

Isle du Vent (Windward Islands). 1731 H 12 sols. La Rochelle Mint. AU-58 (NGC). Nicely toned with pastel slate blue around devices and a bit of autumnal maroon-gray on the reverse over the lustrous, reflective fields. As close to Mint State as any I've encountered. No bad marks, some very minor hairlines, excellent strike and eye appeal. I've liked this type for a long time -- probably since I learned that several specimens were found in the excavations at Fort Frederick in Maryland. Others have been recovered in Virginia. Usually when found in the marketplace, the silver 12 sols of Isle du Vent of 1731 and 1732 tend to be well worn. Very few exist in high grade. PCGS has graded one Unc, one in 58, and nothing else higher than 50. I've seen a two NGC AUs but never a Mint State coin. This coin would be very, very difficult to upgrade...Sold

Pirates Expelled!

Bahamas. 1806 penny. George III. About Uncirculated. Dies by Conrad Kuchler at Boulton and Watt. A nice, glossy high grade specimen of this popular copper, the only coinage authorized for the Bahamas until modern times. As Pridmore noted, amidst some colorful language, "they refused to take them and the project was a failure." Thus, most tend to be in fairly nice grade. This one shows only the lightest wear, with lustrous light tan on the obverse and nice blend of dark chocolate and tan on the reverse. There are a couple little specks on the obverse, but the coin shows no significant flaws. This tends to be a popular issue, not just because the Bahamas are 50 miles off the coast of Florida or because the islands were part of the same Atlantic economy as the American colonies and United States, but because of something far more important: pirates. Pirates are cool, and there aren't many coins that name check them personally. This one does, with a reverse inscription EXPULSIS PIRATIS / RESTITUTA COMMERCIA or "Commerce Restored by the Expulsion of the Pirates." The famous pirates Henry Morgan and Blackbeard, among others, used the islands as a base of operation, until Governor Woodes Rogers' 1718 campaign to rid the Bahamas from piracy by offering pardons to those who would cease their activities and a noose to those who wouldn't. 120,000 of these pennies (which happen to be the size of halfpennies in England) were struck for the unappreciative Bahamian citizenry, who preferred cut silver to coins that were supposed to circulate at double their value. Pirates didn't like them much either...Sold

Colombia. 1772 JS 2 escudos. Popayan mint. VF-30 (NGC). Just a nice honest to goodness circulated example of this type, with no bad marks and good medium yellow color. This denomination, often called a pistole in early America, was perhaps the most common of the Spanish types, even moreso than the eight escudos pieces. This date was not included in the Eliasberg Collection, which was one of the most advanced collections of Colombian gold of this era ever assembled...Sold

Louis d'or from the wreck of Le Chameau

France / Canada. 1725 H (La Rochelle Mint) Louis d'or from the wreck of Le Chameau, sunk at Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, August 27, 1725. Breen-321. An uncleaned Mint State example of a gold coin shipped to North America at the specific behest of the French crown. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of Louis d'ors and ecus were aboard Le Chameau, the entire annual allowance for Canada, along with about 200 men, mostly new recruits bound for the new French fortress at Louisbourg, at the tip of Cape Breton Island. As the ship approached the treacherous harbor, it foundered and all were lost. Beginning in the mid 1960s, the treasure of the ship was salvaged, and it was introduced to the market in 1971 via a Sotheby Parke-Bernet auction in New York City. John Ford served as one of the initial consultants - for his pay, he asked to select a set of coins by date and mintmark before they were cleaned. This was Ford's 1725-H, the most famous (and numerous) date from the wreck. La Rochelle was the departing port for Le Chameau, so these coins were likely the newest at the time it left. The coin shows strong frosty luster on its finely sandblasted surfaces. The left side of both sides shows pleasing multicolored toning. While the vast majority of French colonial types, including those listed in the Redbook, are collected just because of their American association - i.e., a good number of those types happen to circulate on American soil - the coins of Le Chameau definitively got here (or at least to within a few hundred feet). Louisbourg was twice conquered by New Englanders, once in 1744 and again in 1758. Today, it is a remarkable reconstructed historical site...Sold

A True 2 Bits - a 1/4 Cut Eight Reales, Plated in Pridmore

Early America / West Indies. One-Quarter cut portion of an 180- Carlos IV eight reales, a quarter dollar of its era. Very Fine or so. 110 grains / 7.13 grams. Nice old dark patina, consistent and untouched. The edges show the typical half-cut, half-torn look of most authentic 18th-19th century cut coins, bent up at one corner and a bit uneven, as made. Pridmore, in his still-standard masterwork on coins of the West Indies from 1965, plated this piece under Barbados as a representative as the cut coins authorized to circulated there after 1791. This piece is a bit overweight by the terms of that statute, and in truth it could have been cut (or circulated) anywhere. Most of the cut coins I've seen of this vintage (1st quarter of the 19th century) have come out of the Ohio River Valley, where cut coins (called "sharps" or "sharp money") circulated well into the 1830s. The amount of wear and style of cutting is consistent with that vintage, but who knows. Pridmore associated it with the West Indies, and he may had some context or provenance to suggest that. Most of the cut eight reales I sell were cut and marked in Curacao in the 1820s; they are actually 1/5 cuts rather than 1/4 cuts. True quarter cuts like this one are rare today. Ex. Pridmore (Glendining's, September 1981, Lot 294) to Edward Roehrs; Dix, Noonan, and Webb's sale of the Roehrs Collection, September 2010, Lot 255). This comes with a Pridmore ticket ... for a different coin - a very similar 1798 Dominican Three Bitts with which it was once confused...Sold

A Mexican Eight Reales, Regulated in America in the 17th Century and lost aboard the HMS Feversham

Mexico / Massachusetts. Cob eight reales of Phillip IV, P Assayer (ca. 1634-65). Fine or so, lightly granular from its time in the waters off Nova Scotia. 20.98 grams, 324.0 grains. Boldly plugged atop the cross and shield to bring the weight up to standard, probably at 17 or 17.5 pennyweights (this is presently 13.5 dwts, but it undoubtedly lost some of its weight while underwater). The surfaces are a mottled dark gray, a little darker in areas. The surfaces are not badly corroded, just a bit granular. A large natural planchet rift at 9:00 seems to have encouraged some light clipping in that area. This was likely plugged to the standards set by the Massachusetts Bay Colony ca. 1685-1701. It was lost aboard the HMS Feversham near Cape Breton Island after leaving New York in October 1711. Feversham was a warship on its way to attack Quebec. Before departing, it took on a deposit of Â£569 12s 5d from the local New York treasury office. Most were cobs, but hundreds of pieces of Massachusetts silver were also found, suggesting the economic impact of the coins of Massachusetts Bay. This particular piece hit the market in the 1999 Stack's Americana sale as part of a consignment from the current divers (Lot 1190). More recently, it's from the Roehrs Collection, sold by DNW in September 2010 as Lot 340. As the earliest known American regulated coins, they hold special historical import. They are also the natural extension of a Massachusetts silver series. I wish I had a dozen more to sell...Sold

A Numismatic Guitar Pick

Mexico. One real of Carlos II, ca. 1665-1700. Fine. 1.5 grams. Nice even dark gray with a good bit of the CAROLUS monogram on the obverse and the cross on the reverse still visible. Struck on the weirdest planchet ever, almost the shape of a comma, but pretty perfect as a guitar pick. Not expensive, just cute...Sold

Netherlands, Holland. 1760 ducat. AU-58 (PCGS). Nice light yellow gold with good luster and flash, free of all but the most minor handling. This was one of the worldÂ’s major trade coins in the 18th century, welcome in payment from Java to Jenkintown. Â“The ducat of HollandÂ” was one of the coins approved for use by the terms of Resolution of Congress of September 2, 1776. While some of the coins on the list likely rarely saw American shores, the Dutch became major trading partners at the dawn of the Revolution and their coins would have been frequent visitors to the nascent United States. American ships regularly plied the ports of the Dutch West Indies, and St. Eustatius was perhaps the most important smuggling center of the war. Along with Portuguese/Brazilian half Joes, Dutch ducats would have been plentiful. This is a nice example that would serve as an excellent type coin in a collection of gold relevant to early America...Sold

Mexico. 1760 MM eight reales. Mexico City mint. XF-45 (PCGS). Good cartwheel remains on light silver gray surfaces, lightly toned gold on both sides. Light hairlines suggest a now-ancient cleaning, but the luster and eye appeal remain intact. A little natural striation stretches from U of VTRAQUE to the crown, and an interesting die bulge is seen at D of IND on the reverse. A sharp and handsome example of the famed, classic Pillar dollar...Sold

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