Mexico 1727-Mo D 1/2 real
This specimen was lot 71695 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $1,320. The catalog description[1] noted, "MEXICO. "Royal" Presentation Cob 1/2 Real, 1727-Mo. Mexico City Mint, Assayer D. Philip V. PCGS Genuine--Holed, EF Details. Royal Strike coinage. This lovely silver minor displays elegant and well-struck devices. The flan is pleasingly round as expected from a Royal issue, offering full legibility of details such as the date and the monarch's name and ordinal. The surfaces exhibit a rich cabinet tone befitting this special type. The reverse is struck slightly off-center, and there is a small well-placed hole at the rim, typical for the issue. A wholesome example of this sought-after type, sure to excite advanced collectors. From the Pat Johnson Collection. Ex: Miguel Munoz Collection Sale (Superior Stamp & Coin - 06/1978) Lot # 944." 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 "royal" issues from Mexico and Potosi are rare presentation pieces, round and fully struck. Recipients customarily made them into pendants, which is why survivors are nearly always holed.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.69 g, 0.931 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Cayón-8201, KM-R24; Cal-206.
- 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 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.
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