Mexico 1612-Mo F 4 reales
The first specimen was lot 71647 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $1,020. The catalog description[1] noted, "MEXICO. Cob 4 Reales, 1612-Mo. Mexico City Mint, Assayer F. Philip III. PCGS Genuine--Corrosion Removed, EF Details. This charming Cob shows a mintmark, assayer, and denomination on the obverse along with a truncated but distinct date. The reverse shows evidence of corrosion, much of which has been carefully removed. The coin was in all likelihood salvaged from a shipwreck, which would also account for the unusually light weight. Nonetheless, it remains a pleasing example with no shortage of eye appeal or pertinent details. From the Pat Johnson Collection." The SCWC mentions this type for 1607-21 and notes 1610-17 with assayer "F". Few of these early cobs have legible dates. The second specimen was lot 617 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 38 (Winter Park, FL, November 2025), where it sold for $28,800. The catalog description[2] noted,
"MEXICO, Mexico City, cob 4 reales Royal (galano), 1612/1 F, unique. This unique discovery piece is effectively the earliest known dated 4 reales Mexican Royal, closely matching the details of its successor dated 1615/4/3 (also one known, from the Pat Johnson Collection), in fact the only other dated Philip III 4R known (the next being 1631) and curiously with no clean-date examples known for any of the under-digit dates. At 40 mm in diameter, the flan is fabulously broad, extending past the outer borders in places, with all legends and interior details full and bold, well centered and evenly struck (no doubling at all), just as perfect a strike as you could ask for. It is also medal-aligned, with a small hole at top (clearly old, with displaced metal and associated cracking at the coin's surface), formerly heavily gilt (XRF tested at 9K) but with surfaces now a lightly toned golden-gray with porosity from the removal of the gilding, no worse than XF for actual wear. Of further interest is the fact that INDIARVN is misspelled with an N instead of M for the last letter, which matches both the aforementioned 1615/4/3 example in 4 reales and a known 1612 8 reales Royal. Since this piece is unique and unrecorded, and its formerly gilt surfaces cannot be properly tested, it exceeds the limitations of third party certification and is not currently certifiable by NGC and PCGS, although several Mexican experts have examined this piece and have no concerns about its authenticity. While unsuitable for slabbing until better understood, this coin's importance to the true numismatic connoisseur is nonetheless paramount in the meantime."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 10.58 g, the second specimen 13.91 grams.
Catalog reference: S-M17; Cayón-4771, KM-37.2; Cal-757.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- 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 Juan Carlos I, 1474 a 2001, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2008.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The November 2022 Collectors Choice Ancient & World Coins Auction, Featuring the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
- [2]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing, Connor Falk and Sarah Sproles, Auction 38, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, featuring the Jorge Ugaz Collection of Lima Silver Cob 2 Reales and the Darby Collection of Guatemala Silver Cobs, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2025.
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