Spain 1773-S CF 1/2 escudo
This specimen was lot 1188 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $1,140. The catalog description[1] noted, "Seville, Spain, gold bust 1/2 escudo, Charles III, 1773CF, NGC MS 62, finest known in NGC census. Bold details and choice luster, slightly off-center strike, slight high-point flattening on bust but no actual wear, finest (by three grades) of just three entries in the NGC census and much scarcer than Madrid mint." This type was struck in Madrid 1772-85 (KM 415.1) and Seville 1773-83 (KM 415.2) and is not especially rare tho choice specimens are always in demand. Half escudos were struck in metropolitan Spain 1738-97 in considerable numbers and are quite a bit more common than their silver equals, the eight reales. This is opposite from Latin America, where silver pesos were minted in vast quantities but half escudos would not be minted until the reign of Ferdinand VII.
Reported Mintage: unknown.
Specification: 1.69 g, 0.901 fine gold, .049 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-12171, Cal-1303; KM-415.2.
- 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.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 28, featuring the Dr. Peter Jones and John O'Brien collections, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2020.
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