Spain 1861 20 reales 6 point star
The specimen shown was lot 493 in Aureo y Calicó sale 233 (Barcelona, April 2011), where it sold for 400 euros (about US$664 including buyer's fee). The catalog description[1] noted,
"1861. Madrid. 20 reales. Bella. Gran parte de brillo original. Rara así. EBC+. (Twenty reales of 1861, Madrid mint. Handsome, considerable mint luster, rare thus, choice extremely fine.)"
This type was struck in Barcelona, Madrid and Seville 1856-64. Instead of the traditional mintmarks the issues are distinguished by six, seven or eight pointed stars on the reverse (for Madrid, Seville and Barcelona). In 1850, the twenty reales was reduced to 26.91 grams and the copper maravedis dropped in favor of 1/20, 1/10 and 1/5 reales. Unfortunately, the government, financially prostrate as usual, was unable to remint the old coins, which continued to circulate as before. The coinage would be reformed a second time in 1866.
Recorded mintage: 1,267,246, the highest mintage date.
Specification: 25.96 g, 0.900 fine silver, .751 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-17222, KM 609.2, Cal. 183, Dav-334.
- 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.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
Link to: