Peru 1823-L JP 2 reales
This specimen was lot 75852 in Stack's Bowers June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, June 2026), where it sold for $1,586. The catalog description[1] noted, "PERU. 2 Reales, 1823-LIMAE JP. Lima Mint. Ferdinand VII. PCGS EF-45. The EXCEEDINGLY RARE final date in the series, with KM noting '2 known examples,' though from our combined searches of auction records and the PCGS and NGC population reports, about a half-dozen would seem more appropriate. This piece would seem in by far the finest in terms of both condition and detail, with the others exhibiting significantly greater wear and at times major surfaces issues. Lightly toned, with some wear to the portrait but muted luster preserved through the fields and protected areas. From the Richard August Collection." This specimen is one of a series struck 1811-23 during the reign of Ferdinand VII (1808-33). As a class, colonial coinage of Peru is much less plentiful than that of Mexico, tho it is more available than the remaining mints. However, Harris[2] noted finding more Peruvian two reales of Ferdinand VII than that of Mexico, so it is safe to say that this type is common. The rarity of this date is likely tied to the capture of Lima by the republicans during June 1821-June 1823. The royalists, being driven out of Lima in December 1823, set up a temporary mint in Cuzco in 1824 and briefly struck two reales there; these are rare. Assayer "JP" is noted for the years 1803-23.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 6.77 g, 0.896 fine silver.
Catalog reference: Cayón-15601, KM-115.1; Cal-822.
- 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.
- [2]Harris, Robert P., Pillars & Portraits, San José, CA: Bonanza Press, 1968.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, June 2026 World Premier Collectors Choice Auction - Selections from the L.E. Bruun Collection, the Richard Margolis Collection and the Kirk Menczer Collection of Republican Reales Minors, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2026.
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