Peru 1709-L M 4 reales
This specimen was lot 72032 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2022), where it sold for $2,880. The catalog description[1] noted, "PERU. Cob 4 Reales, 1709-L. Lima Mint; Assayer Felix Cristobal Cano Melgarejo (M). Philip V. PCGS EF-40. This deeply toned cob displays finely-struck details. On the obverse, the denomination, date, mintmark, and assayer's initial present handsomely, highlighted by the dark toning that surrounds the devices. The reverse exhibits some flatness, but offers decipherable fragments of the date and assayer's initial. An example with abundant visual charm. From the Pat Johnson Collection." Not until 1684 was the Lima mint opened on a permanent basis. Four reales of this type were struck through the reign of Philip V--unlike that of Europe, his reign was never challenged in America. Assayer Melgarejo stamped his coins 1709-27. Specimens with legible dates are scarce. The mintage of gold commenced in 1696.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.931 fine silver, this specimen 13.13 g.
Catalog reference: Cayón-8962, KM-33; Cal-1028.
- 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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