From everyone here at the Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio World Coin team we would like to wish you happy holidays! As the New Year approaches we have another highlight from our New York International Numismatic Convention auction — a very rare Colombian Cob 8 Escudos, dated 1754-S. Colombian gold coinage production began in 1622, with the majority of production being limited to the 2 Escudos denomination. The first 8 Escudo to be documented was minted in 1743, over 120 years later! The Cob 8 Escudo denomination was only produced for a short period of time from 1743 to 1756. Out of this production run which lasted slightly over a decade, only a small number of examples can be attributed to any one given date. All “Cob” 8 Escudos should be considered rare, with a dated example being considered extremely rare. The coin we are offering in this sale exhibits a full four digits, 1754, a date of which there are only six examples known.
The obverse depicts the major features of the Arms of the Spanish King Ferdinand VI, the lions and castles of Castille and Leon, and to the left the arms of Aragon, all surmounted by a crown. Below appears the pomegranate of Granada. The lower right hand portion of the legend shows a nearly complete king’s name. “8 S” appears to the right of the arms, to indicate the denomination of 8 Escudos and the Assayer, with the mint mark of “S” for Santa Fe de Bogota (Nuevo Reino) appearing to the left. The reverse design displays a prominent cross of Jerusalem, with the legend showing an outlined four digit date followed by: “HISPAN” discernible above. The surfaces display attractive and rich old orange gold tone and exhibit excellent central details. Only minor peripheral striking weakness is noted at the edges, as to be expected on cob coinage. The details that are visible in the outer legends for this coin, i.e.: most of the king’s name, clear mintmark and a full date elevate this coin to tremendous rarity.
Look for this and other world numismatic rarities in our upcoming January New York International Sale. Preview this impressive coin along with the rest of our auction this December at the Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio office located in Irvine, California. For more information please click here. To schedule an appointment, please call 800.566.2580. While our Stack’s Bowers and Ponterio January New York International sale is closed for further consignments, we are currently taking consignments of world and ancient coins for our April 2014 Hong Kong and August ANA sales. If you are interested in consigning your coins and paper currency (whether a whole collection or a single rarity) be sure to contact one of our consignment directors.
