File:Brazil 1729B 12800 reis obv Heritage 3021-20109.jpg

This specimen was lot 20109 in Heritage sale 3021 (New York, January 2013), where it sold for $105,750. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Possibly Unique Brazilian Colonial Rarity Joao V gold 12800 Reis 1729-B, KM138, Russo-087, unlisted in Gomes, "First Shield Type" variety. Extremely rare and previously unknown. Sharp AU, surfaces lightly burnished from jewelry use and skillfully repaired on the reverse at 3 and 9 o'clock. For decades, Brazilian and Portuguese numismatists have discussed and debated the existence of the 12800 Reis (or Dobra) from the Bahia mint of 1729 featuring the so-called 1st Shield (or Reverse) Variety. The very few Bahia Dobras of 1729 that have surfaced have all been of the 2nd Shield Variety but with the offering of this coin we can finally confirm the existence of the type. It's a major discovery for Brazilian and Portuguese numismatics and should demand lively bidding from advance collectors worldwide."