Martinique (1765) 5 bits
This specimen was lot 2038 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $6,600. The catalog description[1] noted, "GIBRALTAR. Gibraltar - MEXICO. 1/2 Dollar, ND (ca. 1765). NGC VF-30. Type IV countermark: blunt heart-shaped cut-out with ornamented edges; all on a 1744-Mo MF Mexico pillar 4 Reales of Philip V. This denomination is by far the least seen from this series and should be considered EXTREMELY RARE. This moderately worn example exhibits even wear displaying attractive old cabinet patina with richer slate patination near the edges and in the crevasses. The cut, though slightly uneven from a somewhat degraded punch, offers clear details of the ornamental design and exhibits signs of wear that one would expect from the assigned grade. This highly desirable issue, missing from many important collections, is seldom encountered and is always heavily sought after as few examples are known to have survived today. From the Pat Johnson Collection. Ex: John J. Ford Collection (Glendining's London 10/1989) Lot # 72." This coin has been variously attributed to Gibraltar, Dominica and Martinique; we follow the SCWC in assigning it to Martinique. This denomination is the rarest of this series of cut coinage.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: host coin 13.54 g, 0.917 fine silver; this specimen 10.86 g.
Catalog reference: KM-19 (plate coin, Martinique); Prid-17 (Dominica).
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Pridmore, F., The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the Reign of George VI 1952: Part 3, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras and the British West Indies, London: Spink & Son, 1965.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Ponterio, Rick, et al., The May 2017 Collector's Choice Sale, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2017.
Link to:
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