Peru 1698-C M escudo
This specimen was lot 31 in Sedwick sale 34 (Winter Park, FL, November 2023), where it sold for $20,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "Cuzco, Peru, gold cob 1 escudo, 1698 M, extremely rare, NGC AU details / holed, Sedwick Plate. Despite the hole at the top of the obverse, this coin is a contender for one of the best of the (only) eight examples known, just two of which are in the NGC census besides this famous Plate Coin. What distinguishes this piece is the full presence of all the coin details, including both borders, castle with C (with double dots above and below) to left and M (also double-dotted above and below) to right and 698 date below, plus a full cross-lions-castles that is just off-center enough to prove these coins were struck without any legend. The castle side is a trifle doubled but perfectly centered, and overall it has a lovely toning, an ideal piece for so many type-collections that lack this one-year issue. Plate Coin on page 143 of Daniel and Frank Sedwick's The Practical Book of Cobs (4th edition, 2007)." This type from Cuzco is recorded for 1698 only. The Mexico City mint was converted to milled coinage in 1732-34 but Lima would not follow suit until 1751.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.38 g, 0.917 fine gold, this specimen 3.21 grams.
Catalog reference: Cayón-7758, S-CZ1; KM-A27; Cal-811.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing and Connor Falk, Treasure Auction 34, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2023.
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