Bolivia 1707-P Y 4 reales
The first specimen was lot 219 in Áureo y Calicó sale 347 (Barcelona, March 2020), where it sold for €7,000 (about US$9,238 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1707. Felipe V. Potosí. Y. 4 reales. En forma de corazón. Doble fecha. Tres pequeñas perforaciones, pero muy atractiva. Rarísima. Sólo se conoce otro ejemplar. EBC-. (kingdom of Spain, Philip V, four reales of 1707, Potosí mint, "heart" type, two dates. Three small holes, yet very attractive. Extremely rare, we know of one other example, about extremely fine.)"
The second specimen was lot 71182 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $432. The catalog description[2] noted, "BOLIVIA. Cob 4 Reales, 1707-P. Potosi Mint; Assayer Diego de Ybarbouru (Y). Philip V. PCGS VF-30. This extremely compact but well-struck Cob shows plenty of detail. The obverse includes a denomination, assayer's initial, and a bold three-digit date. The reverse adds another denomination and assayer's initial, with pleasing castles and lions in the center. Somewhat crude, but nicely preserved and attractively toned. From the Pat Johnson Collection. Ex: Paul Karon Collection (Ponterio 42 - 03/1990) Lot # 392." These heart shaped coins are well attested from the Potosí mint and are believed to have been made as religious pendants, as the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was gaining popularity in the early eighteenth century. Many are light weight, suggesting that they were made outside the mint by jewelers.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen is 12,43 g, the second specimen is 13.97 g.
Catalog reference: KM-30; Cal-1159, Cayón-8955, KM 30.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduard Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Subasta Publica 347: Seleccion de 500 Monedas, Medallas y Billetes, Barcelona: Áureo y Calicó, 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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