Mexico 1782-Mo FF 8 reales
The first specimen was lot 339 in Aureo & Calicó sale 238 (Barcelona, November 2011), where it sold for ___ euro (about US$___ including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1782. México. FF. 8 reales. Parte de brillo original. MBC+/EBC-. (eight reales of 1782, Mexico City mint. Some luster, choice very fine to extremely fine.)"
Assayer FF is recorded for the years 1777-84. The dollar that George Washington allegedly threw over the Potomac could have been of this type. Harris[2] notes that the Mexico City eight reales is by far the most abundant coin of Charles III. The next most common issue, the two reales from Mexico City, is less than half as common. The third specimen was lot 44171 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $26,400. The catalog description[3] noted,
"Exceptionally Rare Engraver's Mistake Recovered from the El Cazador Shipwreck, MEXICO. Mint Error -- Inverted Date -- 8 Reales, '1872'-Mo FF (1782). Mexico City Mint. Charles III. NGC VF Details--Sea Salvaged. Presenting a remarkable engraver's mistake, whereby the celator transposed the middle two digits of the date, this EXTREMELY RARE issue, one of only four known and all of which were recovered from the El Cazador wreck--at first seems futuristic, as it evokes a period some 90 years later during the Mexican Republic. In fact, this crown had long since been submerged, going down with the El Cazador ship when it sank in early 1784. Some moderate corrosion is noticed throughout the surfaces from prolonged saltwater immersion, but isn't really a distraction, while the highly erroneous date remains clear and bold. When taking into account its status as a sea salvaged piece from a famous wreck along with its stunning error date, it becomes easy to recognize its unicorn nature in terms of unrivaled appeal and historical importance.
According to author and researcher Brad Yonaka, this error date was known at the time of manufacture. In fact, an official proclamation was issued on 11 January 1783 describing such an error, stating that, should any be encountered, they should be gathered, melted down, and restruck. If any of these defective coins were encountered, individuals were encouraged to return to the mint or any other royal administrative office to exchange for equivalent face value in non-error coinage. The proclamation was to remain in effect for more than six months until the last day of June, after which the coins would be demon[e]tized and only worth their bullion value. Clearly not many of these error dates survived, as all known examples were recovered from the El Cazador wreck, with the current piece being one of the finest known. From the S.P. Rutherford Collection. Ex: El Cazador shipwreck, sunk in 1784 in the Gulf of Mexico near New Orleans."
Recorded mintage: unknown but common.
Specification: 27.07 grams, 0.903 fine silver, .785 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-12085, Cal. 932, KM 106.2. The second specimen cf. Cal-1122 (same); Yonaka-M8-82a (plate coin).
- [2]Harris, Robert P., Pillars & Portraits, San José, CA: Bonanza Press, 1968.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduardo Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Subasta Colleción Leunda, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó Subastas Numismáticas, 2011.
- Elizondo, Carlos A., Eight Reales and Pesos of the New World, San Antonio, TX: 1968.
- Raymond, Wayte, The Silver Dollars of North and South America, 2nd Ed., Racine, WI: Whitman Publishing, 1964.
- [3]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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