Tucuman (1)758 2 reales
This specimen was lot 34330 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2022), where it sold for $900. The catalog description[1] noted, "ARGENTINA. Tucuman. Cob 2 Reales, "758" (1820-24). PCGS VF-30. Imitative type. Presenting an overall wholesome nature and an enticing cabinet tone, this VERY RARE imitative issue of good silver and with a fanciful pseudo date offers immense charm and quality that is not often encountered. Ex: Sedwick 15 (5/2014) Lot # 1169." Wikipedia comments, "Tucumán (Spanish pronunciation: [tukuˈman]) is the most densely populated, and the second-smallest by land area, of the provinces of Argentina." The chaos following independence (Bolivia was still held by the royalists) disrupted trade and the supply of coin. This type was probably produced by counterfeiters whose product was accepted for lack of anything else. The counterfeiters' job is made easier if the genuine coin is very crude, as Bolivian cobs certainly were. Similar imitation cobs were made in Mendoza and in Central America.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 3.38 g, 0.896 fine silver.
Catalog reference: KM-1; Janson-12.1.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Janson, Hector Carlos, La Moneda Circulante En El Territorio Argentino, 1767-1998, Buenos Aires, 1998.
- Cunietti-Ferrando, Arnaldo José, Monedas de la República Argentina, Asociación Numismática Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1965.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 ANA Auction - Ancients & World Coins - Featuring The Salton Collection Part III, the Augustana Collection and the Robert C. Knepper Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2022.
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