Philippines 1807-M F quarto
The first specimen was lot 3167 in Stephen Album sale 38 (Santa Rosa, CA, September 2020), where it sold for $154.70. The catalog description[1] noted, "PHILIPPINES: Carlos IV, 1788-1808, AE quarto, 1807, crudely struck as usual, scarce early date! Fine. According to Basso, there was no official mint in Manila at the time and most of the production of these was done by private Chinese contractors. They were done so crudely as to be often mistaken for counterfeits. Inverted and otherwise blundered letters in the legends are common." The second specimen was lot 73002 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, June 2021), where it sold for $504. The catalog description[2] noted, "PHILIPPINES. Quarto, 1807-M F. Manila Mint. Charles IV. PCGS Genuine--Corrosion Removed, VF Details Gold Shield. KM-6; Cal-15. Despite its noted distraction, this piece remains quite charming, featuring deep brown surfaces and great overall detail remaining." The Manila mint, little better than a smithy prior to the 1860's, struck a series of copper issues in the 1820's and 1830's. They are not particularly rare but very difficult to find in collectible condition being crudely made and harshly used. This type is listed for 1798-1800 and 1805-07 and was accompanied by an octavo.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: copper.
Catalog reference: Cayón-13034, KM-6.
- Basso, Aldo P., Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines, Menlo Park, CA: 1968.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- [1]Album, Stephen, Joseph Lang, Paul Montz, Michael Barry and Norman Douglas Nicol, Auction 38, featuring the Dabestani Collection of Persian Coins, Santa Rosa, CA: Stephen Album Rare Coins, Inc., 2020.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The June 2021 Collector's Choice sale: World and Ancient Coins, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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