Bolivia 1654-P E PH 4 reales
The first specimen was lot 199 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $450. The catalog description[1] noted, "Potosí, Bolivia, cob 4 reales, 1654E, dot-PH-dot at top, ex-Armstrong. Round and solid flan with uncorroded surfaces, full and well-centered pillars with particularly bold dot-PH-dot at top, choice but off-center full cross-lions-castles, two full dates and mintmarks, toned on fields. Pedigreed to the Doug Armstrong collection. Recovered from: Capitana, sunk in 1654 off Chanduy, Ecuador." The second specimen was lot 627 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $5,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "Potosí, Bolivia, cob 4 reales Royal (galano), 1654E, dot-PH-dot at top, extremely rare, NGC XF details / plugged. Almost perfectly round and well centered, with contrasting toning on fields, high points of design evenly circulated, expertly repaired hole to left of cross / bottom of pillars (details restored), possibly unique as we cannot find another example in any published reference or sale. ALL 4R Royals are quite rare anyway! Pedigreed to our Auction #18 (lot #748)." This type was struck 1652-66 for Philip IV. It superseded the shield/cross type which was discredited in the debasement scandal of the 1630's and 1640's.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 13.28 grams, the second specimen 13.36 grams.
Catalog reference: S-P37a; KM-18; Cal-1117 (first), Cal-1088 (second), Cayón-6149.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 28, featuring the Dr. Peter Jones and John O'Brien collections, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2020.
Link to: