Philippines (1788) 1/4 real
The first specimen was lot 73022 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, May 2023), where it sold for $630. The catalog description[1] noted, "PHILIPPINES. 1/4 Real, ND (ca. 1770s). Charles III. NGC AU-50. Variety with outward tail connected by die crack and wide castle reverse. Dove gray surfaces display amber-gold iridescence when flashed under a light source. Wear is rather difficult to discern, and the smartly impressed strike reveals full detail in the lion and castle. With most mint luster remaining, it is an exceptionally attractive piece for the grade that will tempt many specialists." This undated silver cuartilla is often attributed to the Philippines but was almost certainly not made there. Collectors have attempted to attribute this coin to a Latin American mint by matching the punches of the lions and castles with those used on the pesos. The first example uses a castle similar to the pillar dollar while the second uses a castle similar to the portrait dollar. Chile was the first locale to add a date to the cuartilla, in 1790.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 0.84 g, 0.896 fine silver, .024 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-14975 (narrow castle), KM-4; Cal-1478; Byrne Type G.
- Basso, Aldo P., Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines, Menlo Park, CA: 1968.
- Ganzon de Legarda, Angelita, Piloncitos to Pesos, A Brief History of Coinage in the Philippines, Manila: Bancom Development Corporation, 1976.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, May 2023 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Featuring the Richard Elliott Collection of Hooknecks, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2023.
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