Spain 1849-M CL 2 reales
This specimen was lot 306 in Aureo y Calicó sale 233 (Barcelona, April 2011), where it sold for 120 euros (about US$200 including buyer's fee). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1849. Madrid. CL. 2 reales. Bella. Pátina. Parte de brillo original. EBC/EBC+. (Two reales of 1849, Madrid mint, toned, some luster, nice Extremely Fine.)"
This type was struck in Madrid 1844-49, all with assayer CL. The Spanish "de vellon" coinage system, used 1808-50, set twenty reales = 1 peso instead of the traditional eight. The coins minted using that standard were not marked in any way different from the concurrent eight reales standard, a source of confusion for collectors today, It must have been a major irritant for the inhabitants of the time. In 1850 the currency was decimalized and the twenty reales reduced to 26.91 grams.
Recorded mintage: 67,987.
Specification: 2.70 g, 0.812 fine silver, 18.1-18.3 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: Cayón-16898, KM 526.1, Cal. 362.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- O'Connor, Patrick, The Coins of Queen Isabel II of Spain: A Detailed Study of the Coins, Patterns and Medals of Her Reign, San Antonio, TX: Aurora Rarities, LLC, 2017.
- [1]Sisó, Teresa, Eduardo Domingo and Lluís Lalana, COLECCIÓN ANASTASIA DE QUIROGA, Barcelona: Aureo y Calicó Subastas, 2011.
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