Cordoba (1815-17) 1/4 real
This specimen was lot 41001 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $2,640. The catalog description[1] noted,
"The Storied 'Cuartillo de Rondeau', ARGENTINA. Cordoba. 1/4 Real, ND (1815-17). NGC VF-20. This EXTREMELY RARE issuance, conventionally known as the 'Cuartillo de Rondeau', has long inspired debate among numismatic scholars due to its unique style and anepigraphic nature. The present piece exhibits a well-centered strike with the moderate circulation wear that accompanies all known examples. Nicely toned with even some traces of luster in the fields, the coin offers bold depictions of its distinctive design elements with no damage or defect. A terrific exemplar of one of the most debated issues in Argentine numismatics.
This coin's moniker of "Cuartillo de Rondeau" is an apparent reference to General Jose Rondeau, a patriot who fought against the Spanish crown and served as Supreme Director of the Provinces of La Plata during the Cordoba mint's inaugural years. Its attribution to Cordoba is justified by the fact that most of the handful of examples known have emerged from that city. However, a complete lack of evidence makes the placement of the issue to that time and place conjectural at best. Another theory suggests it was produced in Potosi during that city's occupation by insurgent forces, but such a well-established and sophisticated mint was unlikely to have struck this crude issue. More recently, an essay by Mariano Cohen links this issue with a decree from 1821 that authorizes the production of milled coinage for the province of La Rioja. Since there are no other known circulated milled issues from La Rioja dating to that period, Cohen suggests that this Cuartillo could actually be part of the issuance outlined in that decree. While none of the theories proposed can be definitively proven, what is certain is that this piece is among the most legendary within Argentine numismatics, and its appearance in auction is a rare opportunity that specialist collectors should not miss."
After General Belgrano captured the villa of Potosí, the general assembly in Buenos Aires issued a law authorizing the minting of the first Argentinian coins on April 13, 1813 in silver and gold. Striking continued until November of the same year when the villa of Potosí was recaptured by forces loyal to the Spanish crown. The mint was reoccupied by General Rondeau and the similar designs previously mentioned were struck in 1815 from April to November, when the Spanish forces once again retook the villa of Potosí.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.7-0.8 g, silver, probably debased.
Catalog reference: EMO-2001 (Plate coin); KM-1.2; Janson-1.
- Cunietti-Ferrando, Arnaldo José, Monedas de la República Argentina, Asociación Numismática Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1965.
- 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, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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