Mexico 1726-Mo D 1/2 real
This specimen was lot 260 in Morton & Eden sale 104 (London, November 2019), where it sold for £320 (about US$496 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted, "Philip V (1724-1746), Royal Coinage, round half-real, Mexico City, 1726 D, struck in medallic die alignment, pierced at 1 o'clock, reverse double-struck and obverse showing light surface scratches or adjustment marks, very fine." This specimen is a silver cob half real struck at Mexico City a few years before the conversion to milled coinage. Specimens with clear dates are unusual. In 1728, cobs were debased from .931 to 0.917 fine silver. The SCWC states that assayer J also exists for 1726, which Cayón omits.
Recorded mintage: unknown but rather scarce.
Specification: 1.69 g, 0.931 fine silver, this specimen 1.53 g.
Catalog reference: Cayón-8195, KM R24 (round), Cal. type 285, date unlisted.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- 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 Felipe VI, 1474 a 2020, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2019.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Eden, Tom, James Morton, David Kirk and Menelaos Danellis, Morton & Eden sale 104, Ancient Coins and the Mexico Collection, London: Morton & Eden, 2019.
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