La Rioja 1836-RA P 8 escudos
This specimen was lot 1008 in the Eliasberg sale, where it sold for $149,500 (one of the most expensive coins in the sale). It is a rare one year issue from La Rioja province. Rosas, depicted on the obverse, is hailed by some as the savior of Argentina and denounced by others as a bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac. The reverse legend "POR LA LIGA LITORAL SERA FELIZ" might be translated as, "The coastal league will make us happy."
The catalog description[1] noted, "1836 R 8 escudos. Rioja mint. EF-45 (NGC). Portrait of General Rosas to left in military dress, ROSAS below/mountain, crossed flags and cannons below, legends, assayer, date around. An exceptional specimen of one of the greatest South American rarities. Bright yellow gold with abundant lustre and some prooflike reflectivity in protected areas. Boldly struck and finely detailed, area of toning at truncation of Rosas' bust, some light hairlines, two short digs right of mountain on reverse, imperceptible rim cut at 3:00 relative to obverse. One of only a very small number known; the Ulex piece has been the plate coin in most standard references (including Calico and KM) as no other specimen has transacted in a public auction in decades. Missing from nearly every major collection worth noting; indeed, we know of only the Ulex, Fonrobert, and Medina specimens -- even the great 19th century collector Alejandro Rosa of Buenos Aires never owned this coin. One of the highlights of the Clapp-Eliasberg collection. From the John H. Clapp Collection; Clapp estate to Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., 1942. Plated in Wayte Raymond's The Gold Coins of South America, 1936; and in the serial published in Coin Collector's Journal January 1937, Vol. 3, #10, p. 212."
Recorded mintage: unknown (listed as "rare" in the SCWC).
Specification: 27 g, 0.875 fine gold, .758 troy oz AGW. This specimen 26.74 grains, 37.80 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM A9, Fr-7, Calico Onza-1571.
- [1]Kraljevich, John, John Pack, Elizabeth O. Piper and Frank Van Valen, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr. Collection of World Gold Coins and Medals, Wolfboro, NH: American Numismatic Rarities, 2005.
- 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, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
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