Spain (1497-1504)-Seg F 4 excelentes Fr-125
This specimen was lot 31310 in Heritage sale 3089 (Dallas, TX, January 2021), where it sold for $78,000. The catalog description[1] noted, "Spain. Ferdinand & Isabella (1474-1504) gold 4 Excelentes ND (from 1497) (Aqueduct)-A MS62 PCGS, Segovia mint. +FЄRnAnDuS: ЄT: hЄLISABЄT: D: G: RЄX: ЄT: RЄGIn (double-annulet stops), crowned facing busts of Ferdinand and Isabella, aqueduct above, A to right, o over IIII below / SVB: VnBRA' : ALARVm: TVARVm: PROTЄGЄ: nO: (double-annulet stops), crowned royal shield over nimbate eagle. A level of quality that can only be deemed as praiseworthy for the type. Virtually unheard-of in Mint State condition, the next finest we have handled was a mere AU55. While admittedly unevenly struck with pronounced doubling in the obverse margins, the central features preserve a fully appreciable level of detail, Ferdinand's bust and head of the nimbate eagle on the reserve proving especially expressive and well-rendered. Perhaps even finer than the plate pieces selected to illustrate the various subvarieties for the denomination in Tauler's El Oro de los Reyes Católicos, it is unlikely that bidders will have the opportunity to obtain a finer piece anytime soon." Cayón lists several assayers (A, K, F, P) for this rare issue, which was also struck at Burgos, Seville and Toledo. Ten, twenty and fifty excelentes were also struck, probably for presentation.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: gold, this specimen 13.96 g.
Catalog reference: Fr-125, Cal-12, Cayón-2954, ORC-290.
- 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.
- Cayón, Adolfo, Clemente Cayón and Juan Cayón, Las Monedas Españolas, del Tremis al Euro: del 411 a Nuestros Dias, vol. 1, 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and Sam Spiegel, Heritage Auction 3089: NYINC World & Ancient Coins Platinum & Signature Auction - Dallas, featuring the Cape Coral Collection of European Crowns and the Penn Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2020.
Links to:
- (1497-1504)-B ½ real, Burgos mint
- (1497-1504)-G ½ real
- (1497-1504)-S ½ real
- Spain (1475-97) real, Burgos mint
- (1497-1504)-T ½ real, Toledo mint
- (1497-1504)-B real
- (1497-1504)-G real
- (1497-1504)-S real
- (1497-1504)-T real
- Spain (1497-1504)-S S 1/2 excelente Fr-150 Seville mint
- Spain (1479-1504)-S S excelente Fr-82 Valencia mint
- (1497-1504)-S D 2 reales, Seville mint
- (1497-1504)-B 4 reales, Burgos mint
- (1497-1504)-S D 4 reales, Seville mint
- (1497-1504)-B excelente, Burgos mint
- (1497-1504) excelente, Granada mint
- Spain (1497-1504)-S excelente Fr-136 Seville mint
- Spain (1497-1504)-T I excelente Fr-137 Toledo mint
- (1497-1504) 2 excelentes, Burgos mint
- (1497-1504) 2 excelentes, Granada mint
- (1497-1504)-S X 2 excelentes
- Spain (1497-1504)-T 2 excelentes Fr-130 Toledo mint
- Spain (1497-1504)-S 2 excelentes Fr-129 Seville mint
- Spain (1497-1516)-Seg A 2 excelentes Fr-131 Segovia mint
- (1497-1504)-Seg P 4 excelentes
- (1497-1504)-Seg X P 10 excelentes
- (1506-16)-Seg K 4 excelentes
- Coins and currency dated 1497