Peru 1659-L V 8 reales
This specimen was lot 437 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 26 (Winter Park, FL, November 2019), where it sold for $11,305. The catalog description[1] noted, "Lima, Peru, cob 8 reales, 1659V (Series II), Royal-die obverse (unique), with Guatemala sun-over-mountains countermark (Type II, 1839) on cross, KM Plate Coin. Fully round and with nearly full cross-side details, the pillars side weaker but actually matching a known Royal die (see lot #986 in our Auction 12), still with full crown, L-*-M and date, plus full PHILIPPVS, richly old-toned and no worse than VF grade, the countermark XF or better, with drilled hole at bottom of cross as would be expected for a presentation piece (many of which, somehow, ended up in Guatemala), a premium piece in any case. Plate Coin in Spain, Portugal and the New World (2002), by Krause-Mishler (and in other editions)." The second specimen was lot 800 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 35 (Winter Park, FL, May 2024), where it sold for $5,400. The catalog description[2] noted, "PERU, Lima, cob 8 reales, 1659 V, mintmark L*M, •8•V to left and right, rare, ex-Woodside. Nearly full but off-center crown and pillars-and-waves with full date and L*M and •8•V• to left, also full •V• to right, nearly full but also slightly off-center cross with particularly prominent lions and tressure, some flat areas but AXF overall with nice natural surfaces from being non-salvage (as most are from shipwrecks), tiny edge-split, only faintly toned. (The printed catalog shows a new article dedicated to "Star of Lima" coinage, which can be downloaded here: https://sedwickcoins.com/articles/starroflima.pdf.) Pedigreed to the Rob Woodside Collection." Despite pleas from locals in Lima for a mint, Spanish authorities preferred to concentrate coinage production at Potosi in Upper Peru. This peso is from a brief period of 1659-60 when the Lima mint was illegally reopened after being closed since 1588. All the silver denominations were struck. The mint was shuttered again by orders from Spain, not to reopen until 1684. The Mexico City mint was converted to milled coinage in 1732-34 but Lima would not follow suit until 1751.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.07 g, 0.931 fine silver, the first specimen 27.19 g, the second specimen 27.53 grams.
Catalog reference: S-L5; KM-18.1; CT-264, Cayón-6512. The second specimen is Cayón-6510.
- 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, vol. 1, 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]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 26, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2019.
- [2]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing and Connor Falk, Treasure Auction 35, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2024.
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