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ANA Signature Sale 3101 25-28 Aug 2022
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Brazil
Pedro II gold Ingot of Serro Frio 1832 AU, Serro Frio (Minas Gerais) foundry, Prober-1832-SF-115 (this piece, 7 examples known). 62x18mm. 36.66gm. Assayer Antonio Avila Bittencourt (AAB). A breathtaking piece of Brazilian history to say the least, with the vast majority of these gold ingot bars having returned to the melting pot during the rampant minting and melting of newly mined gold during the astonishing production of 19th-century Brazil. Just over 200 bars are left from the aurous period of the Brazilian gold rush, which started in the early 18th century, lasting for a few decades before an exponential decline, then with a rebirth in the early 19th century. The rediscovered gold brought wealth and development to new regions, Serro Frio (now Serro) benefiting much from it. When one visits, museums and landmarks illustrate how a booming infrastructure was built for a city that never was. The promising gold mines brought numerous foreigners to the village; the Portuguese Crown investing in the construction of a courthouse (still one of the richest and most historic in the country), with contemporary sources relating how merchants installed several stores with British-only products alongside the impressive mansions they had built. The wealth was short-lived and, by the time this bar was cast, the gold reserves and mining had drastically declined, likely the reason that only 7 examples of Imperial bars have survived. Aside from some minor nicks and adjustments, this piece shows wholly original surfaces, the foundry stamp on the far left clear and crisp with absolutely minimal dark crevices. This piece was plated in Helio L. Guimaraes' Catalogo das Moedas de Ouro do Brasil, the most complete work on Brazilian gold coins yet published. Prober, in his comprehensive work lists all known Brazilian gold bars, tracing this piece to 1909 and 1926 Schulman sales, first belonging to Alvaro de Araujo Ramos. In the 1950's, it exchanged hands from collector Theodoro Saibro Jardim to Renzo Pagliari (a prominent collector of Brazilian gold, whose collection became the historic 1986 Spink sale), who allegedly bought it for his sister-in-law and later sold it in a Spink sale. Only the third bar we have handled from Imperial Serro Frio, a piece for advanced Brazilian type collectors and enthusiasts of true gold rush relics.
The recorded examples of Imperial Serro Frio bars are:
1) The Guinle example (1829-SF-76): Estate of Joaquim Gomes de Souza Braga (catalog written and organized by Augusto de Souza Lobo on behalf of the Consulado Geral de Portugal no Rio de Janeiro in 1906, Lot 3708), where it had its original Guia that was tragically lost over the years; Guilherme Guinle Collection; Monaf Collection; Sotheby's "Brazilian gold Currency Bars" (May 1997, Lot 37)
2) The Meili-Norweb example (1830-SF-25): Bernardo D'Almeida da Silva Ramos Collection, with original Guia; Julius Meili Collection (Plated in his 1905 catalog, plate XIV, 112); sold in 1937 by Herman Porcher to Waldemar Thiesen (number 318 from the 1943 list), with Thiesen having to sell it again, due to World War II, giving it to Porcher, who sold it to Hans Schulman in 1947, the latter selling it to his friend, King Farouk of Egypt; Farouk Collection (Sotheby's February 1954, Lot 20); acquired by Norweb, later donated to the ANS (American Numismatic Museum) in 1963 (ANS-1963.240.1)
3) The Zarzur example (1831-SF-28): Shown to Prober in 1940, later authenticated by Hans Kochmann; acquired by Abrahao Zarzur in 1979
4) The RLM example (1831-SF-31): Shown to Prober in 1940, "to never resurface again", as he wrote in his 1990 book; RLM Collection (Heritage Auction #3030, January 2014, Lot 23092)
5) The Meili-Guinle-BES example (1832-SF-4): Julius Meili Collection (where it had its original Guia that was tragically lost over the years) and plated in his 1902 Catalog (Volume II, Plate XIX, 34); sold by Santos Leitao (June 1937, Lot 79) to Guilherme Guinle; Sotheby's "Brazilian gold Currency Bars" (May 1997, Lot 38); BES Collection (Banco Espirito Santo), now in a Portuguese museum where the entire BES Collection resides.
6) The Prober-RLM example (1832-SF-114): Estate of Joaquim Gomes de Souza Braga (catalog written and organized by Augusto de Souza Lobo on behalf of the Consulado Geral de Portugal no Rio de Janeiro in 1906, Lot 3709); Guilherme Guinle provided pictures for Prober's book, in 1941, though it wasn't plated in his 1949 collection list; Prober acquired and sold it in 1947, without the Guia, which resurfaced in 1948, leading Prober to re-purchase the bar to join it with its original Guia; Sedwick Treasure Auction 10 (October 2011, Lot 118); RLM Collection (Heritage Auction #3026, September 2013, Lot 23978)
7) The Pagliari example (1832-SF-115, this piece): Alvaro de Araujo Ramos Collection; Jacques Schulman (March 1909, Lot 2174); Jacques Schulman (June 1926, Lot 331); Theodoro Saibro Jardim Collection; Renzo Pagliari, for his sister-in-law Irene de Almeida Giorgi; sold by Spink; Sotheby's (December 1986, Lot 313); Sotheby's "Portuguese, Brazilian and Portuguese Colonial Gold Coins" (May 1996, Lot 805)
The Minas Gerais (literally, "General Mines") Gold Rush at the turn of the nineteenth century was the first notable movement of the Brazilian population since the first discovery of the mines in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Initially, the Portuguese central government allowed the mining operations provided the quinto (20% tax) was duly paid and this legislation was effective between 1700-1713 but, understandably, not popular. The law of February 11, 1719 authorized the much needed creation of new casas de fundição (foundries) in the new state and reestablished the quinto for gold dust while forbidding the circulation of gold that was not refined in the casa de fundição. These measures, aiming to tighten the control of the crown over the exploration, resulted in the 1720 uprising in Vila Rica. The operation of gold melting and creation of the ingots was crafty and careful, each ingot accompanied by a detailed certificate or Guia, while the ingot itself also provided all relevant information: thus the present piece from Serro Frio (the bifacial punch to the left of the obverse) - identified by its year 1832 and its individual number N(umero) 115 - was the 115st bar produced in 1832 at that foundry. The indicated fineness is of 23 carats (Toque 23) and the theoretical weight is of 1 ounce, 2 eighths and 14 grains (indicated as 1 - 2 - 14). All of this is certified by assayer Antonio Avila Bittencourt (his monogram AAB is found at the top right on the obverse).
This lot is sold with a photocopy from Prober's 1990 work.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/brazil/brazil-pedro-ii-gold-ingot-of-serro-frio-1832-au-/a/3101-34140.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3101-08252022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 80000-120000 USD
Pedro II gold Ingot of Serro Frio 1832 AU, Serro Frio (Minas Gerais) foundry, Prober-1832-SF-115 (this piece, 7 examples known). 62x18mm. 36.66gm. Assayer Antonio Avila Bittencourt (AAB). A breathtaking piece of Brazilian history to say the least, with the vast majority of these gold ingot bars having returned to the melting pot during the rampant minting and melting of newly mined gold during the astonishing production of 19th-century Brazil. Just over 200 bars are left from the aurous period of the Brazilian gold rush, which started in the early 18th century, lasting for a few decades before an exponential decline, then with a rebirth in the early 19th century. The rediscovered gold brought wealth and development to new regions, Serro Frio (now Serro) benefiting much from it. When one visits, museums and landmarks illustrate how a booming infrastructure was built for a city that never was. The promising gold mines brought numerous foreigners to the village; the Portuguese Crown investing in the construction of a courthouse (still one of the richest and most historic in the country), with contemporary sources relating how merchants installed several stores with British-only products alongside the impressive mansions they had built. The wealth was short-lived and, by the time this bar was cast, the gold reserves and mining had drastically declined, likely the reason that only 7 examples of Imperial bars have survived. Aside from some minor nicks and adjustments, this piece shows wholly original surfaces, the foundry stamp on the far left clear and crisp with absolutely minimal dark crevices. This piece was plated in Helio L. Guimaraes' Catalogo das Moedas de Ouro do Brasil, the most complete work on Brazilian gold coins yet published. Prober, in his comprehensive work lists all known Brazilian gold bars, tracing this piece to 1909 and 1926 Schulman sales, first belonging to Alvaro de Araujo Ramos. In the 1950's, it exchanged hands from collector Theodoro Saibro Jardim to Renzo Pagliari (a prominent collector of Brazilian gold, whose collection became the historic 1986 Spink sale), who allegedly bought it for his sister-in-law and later sold it in a Spink sale. Only the third bar we have handled from Imperial Serro Frio, a piece for advanced Brazilian type collectors and enthusiasts of true gold rush relics.
The recorded examples of Imperial Serro Frio bars are:
1) The Guinle example (1829-SF-76): Estate of Joaquim Gomes de Souza Braga (catalog written and organized by Augusto de Souza Lobo on behalf of the Consulado Geral de Portugal no Rio de Janeiro in 1906, Lot 3708), where it had its original Guia that was tragically lost over the years; Guilherme Guinle Collection; Monaf Collection; Sotheby's "Brazilian gold Currency Bars" (May 1997, Lot 37)
2) The Meili-Norweb example (1830-SF-25): Bernardo D'Almeida da Silva Ramos Collection, with original Guia; Julius Meili Collection (Plated in his 1905 catalog, plate XIV, 112); sold in 1937 by Herman Porcher to Waldemar Thiesen (number 318 from the 1943 list), with Thiesen having to sell it again, due to World War II, giving it to Porcher, who sold it to Hans Schulman in 1947, the latter selling it to his friend, King Farouk of Egypt; Farouk Collection (Sotheby's February 1954, Lot 20); acquired by Norweb, later donated to the ANS (American Numismatic Museum) in 1963 (ANS-1963.240.1)
3) The Zarzur example (1831-SF-28): Shown to Prober in 1940, later authenticated by Hans Kochmann; acquired by Abrahao Zarzur in 1979
4) The RLM example (1831-SF-31): Shown to Prober in 1940, "to never resurface again", as he wrote in his 1990 book; RLM Collection (Heritage Auction #3030, January 2014, Lot 23092)
5) The Meili-Guinle-BES example (1832-SF-4): Julius Meili Collection (where it had its original Guia that was tragically lost over the years) and plated in his 1902 Catalog (Volume II, Plate XIX, 34); sold by Santos Leitao (June 1937, Lot 79) to Guilherme Guinle; Sotheby's "Brazilian gold Currency Bars" (May 1997, Lot 38); BES Collection (Banco Espirito Santo), now in a Portuguese museum where the entire BES Collection resides.
6) The Prober-RLM example (1832-SF-114): Estate of Joaquim Gomes de Souza Braga (catalog written and organized by Augusto de Souza Lobo on behalf of the Consulado Geral de Portugal no Rio de Janeiro in 1906, Lot 3709); Guilherme Guinle provided pictures for Prober's book, in 1941, though it wasn't plated in his 1949 collection list; Prober acquired and sold it in 1947, without the Guia, which resurfaced in 1948, leading Prober to re-purchase the bar to join it with its original Guia; Sedwick Treasure Auction 10 (October 2011, Lot 118); RLM Collection (Heritage Auction #3026, September 2013, Lot 23978)
7) The Pagliari example (1832-SF-115, this piece): Alvaro de Araujo Ramos Collection; Jacques Schulman (March 1909, Lot 2174); Jacques Schulman (June 1926, Lot 331); Theodoro Saibro Jardim Collection; Renzo Pagliari, for his sister-in-law Irene de Almeida Giorgi; sold by Spink; Sotheby's (December 1986, Lot 313); Sotheby's "Portuguese, Brazilian and Portuguese Colonial Gold Coins" (May 1996, Lot 805)
The Minas Gerais (literally, "General Mines") Gold Rush at the turn of the nineteenth century was the first notable movement of the Brazilian population since the first discovery of the mines in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Initially, the Portuguese central government allowed the mining operations provided the quinto (20% tax) was duly paid and this legislation was effective between 1700-1713 but, understandably, not popular. The law of February 11, 1719 authorized the much needed creation of new casas de fundição (foundries) in the new state and reestablished the quinto for gold dust while forbidding the circulation of gold that was not refined in the casa de fundição. These measures, aiming to tighten the control of the crown over the exploration, resulted in the 1720 uprising in Vila Rica. The operation of gold melting and creation of the ingots was crafty and careful, each ingot accompanied by a detailed certificate or Guia, while the ingot itself also provided all relevant information: thus the present piece from Serro Frio (the bifacial punch to the left of the obverse) - identified by its year 1832 and its individual number N(umero) 115 - was the 115st bar produced in 1832 at that foundry. The indicated fineness is of 23 carats (Toque 23) and the theoretical weight is of 1 ounce, 2 eighths and 14 grains (indicated as 1 - 2 - 14). All of this is certified by assayer Antonio Avila Bittencourt (his monogram AAB is found at the top right on the obverse).
This lot is sold with a photocopy from Prober's 1990 work.
https://coins.ha.com/itm/brazil/brazil-pedro-ii-gold-ingot-of-serro-frio-1832-au-/a/3101-34140.s?type=DA-DMC-CoinArchives-WorldCoins-3101-08252022
HID02906262019
© 2022 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved
Estimate: 80000-120000 USD