Spain 1879-EM M 25 pesetas (79)
The early coinage of Spain is familiar: 8 reales = one peso; 2 pesos = one escudo. During the Napoleonic period, the real was devalued such that one peso = 20 reales de vellon. This was reformed in 1850 and again in 1864. In 1870, with the collapse of the monarchy, the reales, pesos and escudos were dropped in favor of centimos and pesetas conforming to the Latin Monetary Union.
This specimen was lot 3930 in Sincona sale 18 (Zürich, May 2014), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"25 Pesetas 1879. Madrid Mmz. EMM. Vorzüglich-FDC. (Spain, twenty-five pesetas of 1879, Madrid mint, extremely fine to uncirculated.)"
This type, struck 1876-80, is common enough to sell as a bullion coin. After 1889, Spain struck twenty pesetas on the same module as French twenty francs d'or.
Recorded mintage: 3,478,000 (a common date).
Specification: 8.064 g, 0.900 fine gold, .233 troy oz AGW, this specimen 8.07 g.
Catalog reference: Cayón-17529, KM 673, C.T. 10. Fr-342.
- 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.
- [1]Numismatic Coins, Medals, & Banknotes: Auction 18, Zürich: SINCONA AG, 2014.
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