Bolivia 1748-P q 4 reales
This specimen was lot 633 in Sedwick Treasure Auction 28 (Winter Park, FL, November 2020), where it sold for $336. The catalog description[1] noted, "Potosí, Bolivia, cob 4 reales, 1748q. Very choice full pillars including tops and full but doubled cross, two assayers and partial dates (confirmed to be 1748 by comparison with others), three mintmarks, deeply rainbow-toned XF, very nice overall." The Spanish colony of Upper Peru produced hammered cob coinage at the Potosi mint from 1573 to 1773, with a major debasement scandal and subsequent reform occurring in 1649-1652. The royal or presentation issues are very rare and highly sought after, while the regular strikes vary in price according to the visibility of the date, mint, and assayer initials. The cobs were debased from 0.931 fine to 0.917 in 1728. Assayer "q" is listed for 1744-60.
Recorded mintage: unknown but a common date.
Specification: 13.54 g, 0.917 fine silver, this specimen 13.55 grams.
Catalog reference: S-P50a; KM-39; Cal-399, Cayón-10482.
- 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.
- Michael, Thomas, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1701-1800, 7th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2016.
- Menzel, Sewall, Cobs, Pieces of Eight and Treasure Coins, New York: The American Numismatic Society, 2004.
- Paoletti, Emilio, 8 Reales Cobs of Potosí, 2nd Ed., Buenos Aires, 2006.
- [1]Sedwick, Daniel Frank, Augi Garcia and Cori Sedwick Downing, Treasure Auction 28, featuring the Dr. Peter Jones and John O'Brien collections, Winter Park, FL: Daniel Frank Sedwick LLC, 2020.
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