Spain 1905-SM V peseta (05)
The early coinage of Spain is familiar: eight reales = one peso; two pesos = one escudo. During the Napoleonic period, the real was devalued such that one peso = twenty 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 silver peseta, struck in Madrid in 1903-05, matches the contemporary French silver franc down to the odd .835 alloy. The 1903 and 1904 are common; the 1905 is rare. This specimen was lot 1296 in Sedwick sale 25 (Winter Park, FL, May 2019), where it sold for $773.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Madrid, Spain, 1 peseta, Alfonso XIII, 1905SMV with 19-05 inside stars, rare, NGC MS 63. Bold strike with ample luster, lightly toned all over but the reverse slightly darker, tied with two others for finest known in NGC census. NGC #4702956-012."
Recorded mintage: 492,000.
Specification: 5 g, 0.835 fine silver, .134 troy oz ASW.
Catalog reference: Cayón-17620, CT-51; KM-721.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- 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.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 25, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2019.
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