Colombia (1713) escudo
This specimen was lot 83 in Sedwick Auction 37 (Winter Park, FL, May 2025), where it sold for $4,950. The catalog description[1] noted, "COLOMBIA, Bogotá, gold cob 1 escudo, (1713), no assayer (Arce), rare, NGC MS 64 (1715 Fleet Shipwreck Label). Good full shield and cross, both slightly off-center, resulting in a clear king's ordinal II on obverse (Charles II posthumous), the shield showing recumbent lions in transposed quadrants and no dots in Naples-Sicily, in fact an exact die-match [to] known examples dated 1713 (label says 1613 in error, in addition to a date-range of 1708-14, in any case tied for second finest behind a single MS 65). From the 1715 Fleet, with original Cobb Coin Co (Fisher) plastic and paper tags NCB3546MO and Fisher tag and photo-certificate PC12-31440." This type was issued from Bogotá. Charles II's name was used on Colombian gold until 1714, the year the Treaty of Utrecht was signed. Perhaps mint officials were afraid to declare for Philip V until his rule was recognized by all the Powers. Specimens with legible dates are worth double those without. Cayón mentions only the date 1711. This type comes without a mintmark or assayer initials. Many have been made into jewelry and sold as "pirate gold."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.38 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 3.38 grams.
Catalog reference: Cayón-unlisted, Restrepo-M64.16; S-B24; Cal-1771 (under Ph. V); Fr-5a; KM-13.
- 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.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- 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.
- Restrepo, Jorge Emilio, Monedas de Colombia, 1619-2006, Medellin, Colombia, Impresiones Rojo: 2006.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing, Connor Falk and Sarah Sproles, Treasure Auction 37, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, featuring the Almenara Collection of Colonial Peruvian Gold Coins, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2025.
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