Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
January 2018 NYINC Auction 11-13 Jan 2018
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COLOMBIA. 1848 pattern 16 Pesos. Popayán (i.e. Royal Mint, London?) mint. Gold. Restrepo-60. SP-64 (PCGS).
Lettered edge. A unique rarity that was totally unknown until it was offered in the 1997 Norweb sale along with similarly spectacular 2 Pesos, 4 Pesos, and 8 Pesos of the same vintage and type (all of which will be offered in a sale this spring). The devices are boldly frosted and stand out in cameo contrast from the deeply mirrored Proof fields. The flash, aesthetic appeal, and production quality are all top caliber and very impressive. As noted in the Norweb sale, the background story of this piece and those that came with it is unknown but they "look extremely English." There is a reason for that: the bust is signed, diminutively but certainly, W.W. for William Wyon. William Wyon's son, Leonard Charles Wyon, signed the similarly styled Colombian patterns issued in 1858. Though not listed in Restrepo, this issue exists in silver also, as the 1935 Waldo Newcomer sale included (lot 623) a piece described as "1848 Silver pattern for Popayán 20 Pesos, as adopted design. Proof. Rare." This piece is unquestionably gold, with rich yellow color and the unmistakably surface texture of the noblest metal. An exquisite property, an exciting opportunity, and one of the signal rarities of all Colombian coinage.
From the Eldorado Collection of Colombian and Ecuadorian Coins.
Lettered edge. A unique rarity that was totally unknown until it was offered in the 1997 Norweb sale along with similarly spectacular 2 Pesos, 4 Pesos, and 8 Pesos of the same vintage and type (all of which will be offered in a sale this spring). The devices are boldly frosted and stand out in cameo contrast from the deeply mirrored Proof fields. The flash, aesthetic appeal, and production quality are all top caliber and very impressive. As noted in the Norweb sale, the background story of this piece and those that came with it is unknown but they "look extremely English." There is a reason for that: the bust is signed, diminutively but certainly, W.W. for William Wyon. William Wyon's son, Leonard Charles Wyon, signed the similarly styled Colombian patterns issued in 1858. Though not listed in Restrepo, this issue exists in silver also, as the 1935 Waldo Newcomer sale included (lot 623) a piece described as "1848 Silver pattern for Popayán 20 Pesos, as adopted design. Proof. Rare." This piece is unquestionably gold, with rich yellow color and the unmistakably surface texture of the noblest metal. An exquisite property, an exciting opportunity, and one of the signal rarities of all Colombian coinage.
From the Eldorado Collection of Colombian and Ecuadorian Coins.
From Spink America's sale of the Norweb Collection, March 1997, lot 553.
Estimate: $20000.00- $40000.00