Page 77 - Treasure, World & U.S. Coin Auction 17

Spanish 1554 Fleet off Padre Island, Texas

274. Mexico City, Mexico, 4 reales, Charles-Joanna, “Late Series,” assayer L to
right, mintmark M to left. Nesmith 86 for type; S-M9. 9.76 grams. Typically brownish and thin
from moderate corrosion but with good full shield and other details, patch of “horn silver”
on pillars side. Pedigreed to our Auction #8, with original lot-tag #435. Estimate: $125-$200.

Unidentified ca.-1590 wreck off the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico

275. Potosí, Bolivia, cob 8 reales, Philip II, assayer C below erasure,
very rare. S-P5; KM-5.1; CT-136 (under La Plata). 25.19 grams. Mostly solid specimen
(just some loss on about 30% of the edge) with full and clear shield and cross
and much legend, the all-important P-erasure-C very clear, light but uneven
toning, numismatically popular issue that was once attributed to La Plata.
Estimate: $700-$1,000.

“Rill Cove wreck,” sunk ca. 1618 off Cornwall, England

276. Toledo, Spain, cob 8 reales, Philip III, assayer C below mintmark
oT to left. KM-37.4. 19.76 grams. Thin from corrosion but with clear (but slightly
doubled) full shield and cross, uneven toning. With generic certificate. Estimate:
$100-$150.

Atocha, sunk in 1622 west of Key West, Florida

Mexico

277. Mexico City, Mexico, cob 8 reales, 1607F (possibly
date over GRATIA), rare, Grade 1. S-M15; KM-44.3; CT-91. 25.73
grams. Choice full shield and cross and oMF, bottom half of date bold
with hints of letters underneath, solid but with some surface pitting,
nicely toned on fields. With Fisher certificate #95A-1621 and copy of
Coins of the Lost Galleons booklet by Budde-Jones (2nd ed., 1993).
Estimate: $750-$1,100.

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