Bolivia 1645-P T 4 reales
This specimen was lot 71090 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $720. The catalog description[1] noted, "BOLIVIA. Cob 4 Reales, 1645-P. Potosi Mint; Assayer Juan Jimenez de Tapia (T). Philip IV. PCGS Genuine--Environmental Damage, VF Details. This 4 Reales piece exhibits pleasing gray surfaces and attractive central devices. The rims are somewhat corroded, which accounts for the designation, but most of the date is visible, including the truncated final digit. The obverse displays the assayer's initial, which, combined with the date, indicates the coin was made during Tapia's third period as assayer. That makes this a rather RARE issue, unlisted in either Krause or Calico. A lovely example, rich with eye appeal and unmistakable details. From the Pat Johnson Collection. Ex: Freeman Craig." The mountains around Potosi contained enormous amounts of high grade silver ore, a situation the Spanish were not slow to exploit. A mint was set up in the 1570's to process the silver mined there. The early products of the reign of Philip II are fairly good quality but rot set in during the following reign, including fraudulent debasement. This type was struck 1622-47, throughout the first part of the reign of Philip IV. Dates were added in 1617; even so, many are so crudely made that the dates are not legible. This type is rare; it was never made in large quantities and nearly all melted down in the great remintage of 1649-52 when the debased cobs were called in. Assayer T operated 1626-36 and 1643-48 and was probably deeply implicated in the debasement fraud.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, this specimen 10.26 g and most likely debased.
Catalog reference: Cayón-6105 ("TR"), cf. KM-17A (unlisted date); Cal-Type-279 (unlisted date).
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, 2 volumes, Madrid: Cayón-Jano S.L., 2005.
- Calicó, Xavier, Numismática Española: Catálogo General con Precios de Todas las Monedas Españolas Acuñadas desde Los Reyes Católicos Hasta Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The November 2022 Collectors Choice Ancient & World Coins Auction, Featuring the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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