Peru (1568-71)-R 1/4 real
The first specimen was lot 540 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $900. The catalog description[1] noted, "Lima, Peru, 1/4 real, Philip II, assayer R (Rincon) to left, legends HIS / SPANIARVM, very rare, ex-Jones (Plate Coin). Thin and corroded from salvage (like nearly all known specimens) but with all of the legends and inner details full and sharp (which is rare), overall VF with dark, contrasting toning. Pedigreed to the Dr. Peter Jones collection, plated on page 132 of his book The First Coins of the Americas (2020)." This specimen has lost over half its mass to corrosion. The Lima mint competed for silver with the Potosi mint (which was closer to the major mines) and colonial authorities closed it several times in the sixteenth century. The second specimen was lot 51118 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $6,000. The catalog description[2] noted,
"PERU. Cob 1/4 Real, ND (ca. 1568-70)-R. Lima Mint. Philip II. NGC AU Details--Environmental Damage. Assayer Alonso Rincon. Variety with monarch's name on obverse. An undeniably exceptional example of this type. Offering a bold well-centered strike, good surfaces, and extremely limited circulation, this piece may be the most attractive Rincon Cuartillo ever offered. There is little doubt why Emilio Ortiz chose this piece alone to adorn the cover of volume 1 of his comprehensive catalog, Spanish Colonial and Republican Cuartillos of the New World. While rare in any grade, this piece is elevated to an EXTREME RARITY by its lack of any of the cracks, chips, holes, or tool marks which typically afflict the type. A hint of corrosion, likely from saltwater immersion, accounts for the grade, but this is highly limited and the coin escapes any distracting encrustation or porosity that the designation might suggest. This piece is fit to crown any elite collection of Peruvian colonial silver. From the EMO Collection."
The third specimen was lot 51119 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2024), where it sold for $432. The catalog description[2] noted, "PERU. Cob 1/4 Real, ND (ca. 1568-70)-R. Lima Mint. Philip II. NGC VF Details--Environmental Damage. Assayer Alonso Rincon. Variety with transposed legends. This early Cuartillo offers strong central detail and much rustic charm From the EMO Collection."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.85 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 0.43 g, the second specimen 0.71 g; the third specimen 0.53 g.
Catalog reference: S-L1; KM-1; Cal-761, Cayón-3371, the second specimen EMO-401.1 (Plate coin); KM-1; Cal-94; Sellschopp-11; the third specimen EMO-401.12 (Plate coin); KM-1; Cal-95.
- 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.
- Krause, Chester L., and Colin R. Bruce II, Standard Catalog of World Coins: Spain, Portugal and the New World, Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2002.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 28, featuring the Dr. Peter Jones and John O'Brien collections, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2020.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, January 2024 NYINC Auction, featuring the Emilio M Ortiz Collection and a Symphony of Russian Rarities, the Rothschild-Piatigorsky Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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