Spain 1643-MD B 8 reales
This specimen was lot 75693 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice Online Auction (Costa Mesa, CA, October 2024), where it sold for $840. The catalog description[1] noted, "SPAIN. Cob 8 Reales, 1643-MD B. Madrid Mint. Philip IV. NGC AU-58. A rugged but delightfully wholesome cob. Slight die shift on the obverse, but the Habsburg shield is perfectly centered and the assayer, mint, and denomination are all identifiable. The final two date digits appear on the reverse, completing the package. Best of all, the coin presents a deep cabinet tone that emphasizes its originality and preservation." This scarce type was struck 1621, 1627, 1631-35, 1639-44, 1649-51, 1659-62. Many varieties exist in the position of the mintmark and denomination, which was sometimes written "8" and sometimes "VIII". At this time, the Madrid mint was a private venture and its mintmark did not bear the crown used later. The SCWC lists eight reales cobs from Madrid under KM 39.4 and KM 120 without drawing a distinction between them.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 27.46 g, 0.931 fine silver, this specimen 26.45 g.
Catalog reference: Dav-4404; KM-120; Cal-1272, Cayón-6361.
- 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.
- Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
- Davenport, John S., European Crowns, 1600-1700, Galesburg, IL, 1974.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, October 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, featuring the S.P. Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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