Philippines 1866 4 pesos

Heritage sale 3049, lot 31290

photo courtesy Heritage Auction Galleries

This specimen was lot 31290 in Heritage sale 3049 (Long Beach, September 2016), where it sold for $5,640. The catalog description^[1] noted, "Isabel II gold 4 Pesos 1866 AU58 NGC, Manila mint. Obv. Head of Isabel II left, with date below.. Rev. Crowned arms dividing value. Light marks, with some remaining luster. A very rare issue and one of the most difficult of the entire 4 Peso series. None have been certified finer, with only one other coin certified in AU58." This coin is the same weight and fineness as a Mexican two escudos or a Spanish eighty reales de vellon.

The Philippines were conquered by Spain in the late 1500's. Other than introducing Christianity, the colonizers made little effort to develop the islands which gradually fell into the hands of the friars. Manila was important only as a way station on the route from China to Mexico and whatever coins were used there were derived therefrom. Crude, locally produced copper coins were issued c.1798-1835 and in the 1830's large quantities of Latin American pesos were counterstamped "F.7" or "Y.II" for local circulation. Finally, about 1860, a reforming government in Madrid sent the resources to reorganize the Manila mint and modern coinage began. These included gold one, two and four pesos (struck 1861-68).

Recorded mintage: 44,450, a rare date.

Specification: 21 mm diameter, 6.77 g, 0.875 fine gold, .190 troy oz AGW.

Catalog reference: Cayón-17403, Fr-1; KM 144.

Source:

• Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
• Basso, Aldo P., Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines, Menlo Park, CA: 1968.
• Ganzon de Legarda, Angelita, Piloncitos to Pesos, A Brief History of Coinage in the Philippines, Manila: Bancom Development Corporation, 1976.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th 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 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]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3049, featuring the Ohio Valley Collection, the Redwood Collection and the F.P. Briand Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2016.

Links to:

• 1865 4 pesos
• 1865 10 centimos
• 1866 20 centimos
• 1866 gold peso
• 1866 2 pesos
• 1868 4 pesos
• Coins and currency dated 1866
• return to coins of the Philippines