Bolivia 1670-P E 2 reales

Sedwick Treasure Auction 36, lot 768

This specimen was lot 768 in Sedwick Auction 36 (Winter Park, FL, November 2024), where it sold for $312. The catalog description^[1] noted, "BOLIVIA, Potosí, cob 2 reales, 1670/69 E, rare. Slightly off-center strike with nice full cross-lions-castles showing clear 70/69 below, clean date 70 within full pillars-and-waves, parts of all three assayers, darkly toned AXF with traces of surface porosity. Pedigreed to Sedwick Auction 15, with original lot-tag 566." The years 1649-52 were a period of reform at the Potosí mint; it was found that the previous mintmasters in office 1625-48 had been debasing the cobs, a crime for which one official paid with his life. Assayer "E" (Antonio de Ergueta) was brought in to clean house and served 1650-79, well into the reign of Charles II, as here.

Recorded mintage: unknown.

Specification: 6.77 g, 0.931 fine silver, this specimen 6.80 grams.

Catalog reference: Cayón-7329; S-P37b; KM-24; Cal-387.

Source:

• 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.
• Cuhaj, George S., and Thomas Michael, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1601-1700, 6th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2014.
• Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
• ^[1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia, Cori Sedwick Downing, Connor Falk and Sarah Sproles, Treasure Auction 36, World, U.S Coins and Paper Money, featuring the Luis R. Ponte collection, the Jorge Becerra Collection and the John M. O'Brien collection, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2024.

Link to:

• 1669 2 reales
• 1670 real
• 1670 4 reales
• 1670 8 reales
• 1672 2 reales
• Coins and currency dated 1670