Spain 1836-M CR 4 reales
This specimen was lot 931 in Classical Numismatic Group's sale of the Lissner Collection (Chicago, August 2014), where it sold for $302.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "SPAIN, Reino de España. Isabel II. 1833-1868. AR 4 Reales. De Vellon coinage. Madrid mint. José Luis de Castroviejo and Francisco Rodríguez, assayers. Dated 1836 M CR. (De Vellon coinage, weight of ~5.4 g). In NGC encapsulation graded MS 64. Gem original mottled deep patch toning with very lustrous surfaces. A fantastic type coin. Highest graded for the date and type. Ex Wayne Raymond Collection (NASCA, 5 December 1977), lot 3218 (part of)." The type was struck in Barcelona 1836-37, in Madrid 1834-36 and Seville 1835-36; the Madrid issues are the most common. The "de vellon" coinage system, used 1808-50, set twenty reales = one peso instead of the traditional eight. The coins minted using that standard were not marked in any way different from the concurrent eight reales standard, a source of confusion for collectors today. It must have been a major irritant for the inhabitants of the time. In 1850 the currency was decimalized and the twenty reales reduced to 26.91 grams.
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: 5.42 g, .903 fine silver, this specimen Ø23 mm, 5.98 g, 12h axis.
Catalog reference: Cayón-16974, KM 510.1.
- 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.
- [1]Teller, M. Louis, and Victor England, Jr., The Richard Lissner Collection, Lancaster, PA: Classical Numismatic Group, 2014.
Link to: