Bolivia 1804-PTS 1/4 real
This specimen was lot 51332 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $360. The catalog description[1] noted, "BOLIVIA. 1/4 Real, 1804-PTS. Potosi Mint. Charles IV. NGC VF-35. Variety with tip of "4" touching base of castle. A VERY RARE date, this example being the sole certified by NGC. As such, the coin is an impressive survivor in this wholesome state of preservation. The fields, free from corrosion or distractions, serve as a lovely canvas for the details' fully-struck clarity. A smoky gray tone acts as an elegant finishing touch. From the EMO Collection." This is an example of a type struck 1796-1809 at Potosi, Bolivia (then called Upper Peru). Silver quarter reales are also known from Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Peru and Colombia. After independence, production of quarter reales would not resume until 1852.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.84 g, 0.896 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Cayón-13186, EMO-744.2 (Plate coin); KM-82; Cal-154.
- 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.
- Harris, Robert P., Pillars & Portraits, San José, CA: Bonanza Press, 1968.
- Janson, Hector Carlos, La Moneda Circulante En El Territorio Argentino, 1767-1998, Buenos Aires, 1998.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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