The Stack’s Bowers Galleries February 2024 Collectors Choice Online Auction of Ancient coins and World coins and paper money features a very rare 1747 Mexico City 2 Escudos piece graded NGC VF-30. As the coin was struck so soon after the death of Philip V, mint workers had not yet received the official portrait for the new king, Ferdinand VI. The resulting imagery from the Mexico City mint gives Ferdinand a crude, brutish appearance. Official guidance from Madrid arrived by the following year, making this strange transitional representation a one-year type and ensuring its legendary status among numismatists for centuries to come.
Known to collectors as the “caveman bust” in English or the “cara de perro” (meaning “dog-faced”) in Spanish, this issue is among the classic rarities of the colonial Mexican series. When it does appear in auction, 2 Escudos coins usually exhibit weakness in the center that inhibits appreciation of this unique portrait. The present example, by contrast, offers a great strike and only modest handling. Indeed, this piece exceeds all other examples sold in recent years in terms of quality.
Click here to browse the catalog for the first session of our Collector’s Choice Online sale where you will find this and many other exceptional Mexican and Latin American coins. The lots will be auctioned live on February 28 beginning at 9:00 AM PST, and you will not want to miss it.
We are always seeking coins, medals, and paper money for our auctions, and are currently accepting consignments for our August 2024 Global Showcase auction as well as for our fall 2024 Hong Kong auction. Additionally, we are accepting consignments for our Collectors Choice Online (CCO) auctions, the next for which we are accepting consignments is scheduled for May 2024. If you would like to learn more about consigning, whether a singular item or an entire collection, please contact one of our consignment directors today and we will assist you in achieving the best possible return on your material.
