Spain 1822-B SP 80 reales
This specimen was lot 1131 in Aureo sale 291 (Barcelona, April 2017), where it sold for €900 (about US$1,155 including buyer's fees). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1822. Fernando VII. Barcelona. SP. 80 reales. Tipo "cabezón". Impurezas del cuño. Bella. Ex Áureo & Calicó 28/01/2009, nº 1543. Rara y más así. EBC/EBC+. (Spain, Ferdinand VII, eighty reales of 1822, Barcelona mint, "big head" variety, striking imperfections but still nice. Rare, extremely fine or better.)"
When the Bourbons were restored in Spain, they continued to strike this denomination 1822-48 simultaneously with the old two escudos, which is the same size. This type was struck 1822-23 at Madrid, Barcelona (shown here) and Seville; this date is the rarest of a scarce type. The obverse legend refers to king Ferdinand, "by the grace of God and the Constitution," a constitution he was compelled to grant and which he violated at every opportunity. His despotic rule combined that incompetence and brutality later displayed by countless Latin American dictators.
Recorded mintage: unknown; a scarce date, verging on rare.
Specification: 6.77 g, .875 fine gold, .190 troy oz AGW, this specimen 6,65 g.
Catalog reference: Cayón-16281, KM 564.1, Cal. 173.
- 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 Juan Carlos I, 1474 a 2001, Barcelona: Aureo & Calicó, 2008.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduard Domingo and Lluís Lalana, Subasta Publica 291: Collección Egara, vol. II y Collección Verdaguer, Barcelona: Aureo y Calicó, 2017.
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