Stack's Bowers & Ponterio
Collector's Choice November 2022 Auction 14-17 Nov 2022
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PERU. Duo of Cobs (2 Pieces), 1725-27. Lima Mint; Assayer Felix Cristobal Cano Melgarejo (M). Both PCGS Certified.
A fascinating pair of shipwreck cobs from Lima, recovered from the HMS Princess Louisa, a British trade ship that sank off the coast of Cabo Verde in 1743. While both coins exhibit extensive corrosion from their time under the sea, they both retain at least one mintmark and date. The 8 Reales piece is worth discussing because it is dramatically underweight: roughly 18 grams below the weight of a typical 8 Reales coin. It could be that most of that missing mass corroded away over the centuries, or it may have been lost during extraction as many of the wreck's thousands of coins were found fused together. Perhaps the coin was minted in error, a 4 Reales piece mistakenly struck with an 8 Reales obverse. It is in any case a highly interesting piece, and struck in the name of the short-lived King Luis I to boot. These intriguing coins are offered here together, just as they sank to the bottom of the ocean together.
A fascinating pair of shipwreck cobs from Lima, recovered from the HMS Princess Louisa, a British trade ship that sank off the coast of Cabo Verde in 1743. While both coins exhibit extensive corrosion from their time under the sea, they both retain at least one mintmark and date. The 8 Reales piece is worth discussing because it is dramatically underweight: roughly 18 grams below the weight of a typical 8 Reales coin. It could be that most of that missing mass corroded away over the centuries, or it may have been lost during extraction as many of the wreck's thousands of coins were found fused together. Perhaps the coin was minted in error, a 4 Reales piece mistakenly struck with an 8 Reales obverse. It is in any case a highly interesting piece, and struck in the name of the short-lived King Luis I to boot. These intriguing coins are offered here together, just as they sank to the bottom of the ocean together.
1) Cob 8 Reales, 1725-L. Luis I. PCGS Genuine--Saltwater Damage, F Details. KM-39; Cal-37. Weight: 8.26 gms.
2) Cob 4 Reales, 1727-L. Philip V. PCGS Genuine--Saltwater Damage, VF Details. KM-33; Cal-1040. Weight: 12.07 gms. To view all items from the Pat Johnson Collection, click here.
From the Pat Johnson Collection.
Ex: Princess Louisa shipwreck, 1734.
Estimate: $300 - $600