Bolivia 1703-P Y 4 reales
The first specimen was lot 629 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted, "Potosí, Bolivia, cob 4 reales Royal (galano), 1703Y, very rare, NGC VF details / holed. Broad and round and evenly struck compared to the regular issues but with incomplete legends and a couple small spots of doubling, nicely toned all over, with crude hole placed at top of left pillar / near top of cross (not quite medal-aligned), quite rare like all 4R Royals but not unique (we sold another in Auctions 10 and 21, and a different one appeared in Ponterio in 1989)." The second specimen was lot 71178 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $216. The catalog description[2] noted,
"BOLIVIA. Cob 4 Reales, 1703-P. Potosi Mint; Assayer Diego de Ybarbouru (Y). Philip V. PCGS Genuine--Environmental Damage, VF Details. This Cob is surprisingly rich with detail despite a fair bit of circulation and corrosive patina. The well-centered obverse devices include two assayer's initials, denomination, and date. The reverse, though somewhat rougher, adds another date and assayer's initial. A satisfactory example of the type. From the Pat Johnson Collection."
The Spanish colony of Upper Peru produced hammered cob coinage at the Potosí mint from 1573 to 1773, with a major debasement scandal and subsequent reform occurring in 1649-1652. The royal or presentation issues are very rare and highly sought after, while the regular strikes vary in price according to the visibility of the date, mint, and assayer initials. Assayer "Y" is listed for 1701-27.
Recorded mintage: unknown but a better date.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 12.77 g, the second specimen 13.60 g.
Catalog reference: S-P43a; KM-R30; Cal-1135, Cayón-8940.
- 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 Juan Carlos I, 1474 a 2001, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2008.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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.
- [2]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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