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Charles II (1667-1700)
 

                           From the 1715 Fleet      

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M55. Viceroyalty of Nueva Espana, mint of Mexico City, 1714 Mo J four escudos.  A very lustrous, boldly struck, choice mint state media onza that looks like it came from the Mexico City mint last week. NGC calls it an MS64 with a 1715 Fleet endorsement.  SOLD

       The original mintage of 1714 Mexican media onzas is not known exactly, but it was quite small, all from a single pair of dies that shows no progressive wear from use. Before the 1715 Fleet, the 1714 media onza was unknown to numismatists. The summer of 1964 changed that when Real 8 & Mel Fisher found a "Carpet of Gold" on Douglass Beach (supposedly the wrecksite of Adm. Ubiila's patache Nieves.). Several dozen 1714 media onza were part of that treasure. The State of Florida immediately claimed a dozen for its nascent collection.  

      Choice mint state 1714 media onzas have a distinctive look. You can see the reason for the distinctive luster and color in the picture of the reverse immediately above. Look at all the heavy horizontal polishing marks filling the fields. Probably because rust had begun to form on the smooth surfaces, Mexican die cutters had to vigorously repolish these surfaces. If they had used a finer grain brush, the surfaces would look prooflike. As it is, the surfaces have a look close to modern matte proofs. Notice, by the way, the perfect cross and tressure on this coin. I have never seen another Mexican media onza with complete cross, fleurs and tressures. For the nearest comparable 1714 media onza, see the Pablo Gerber specimen that Spink America sold in December of 1995 (lot 30) for $7200.

       SOLD

       terravitan@aol.com or 480-595-1293

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A Short History of MEXICAN GOLD COBS

The mint at Mexico City issued gold bars and carefully adjusted escudo-equivalent gold ingots from at least 1537--see our Special Page for early Mexican gold ingots-- but was not permitted an official gold coinage until 1679. Thereafter it struck gold cobs annually, but usually in small quantity,  until 1732. In that period three Spanish monarchs sat on the throne. The unfortunate Carlos II reigned until 1700, to be succeeded by the first Bourbon monarch Felipe V, whose reign was interrupted for seven moths in 1724 by the accession and death of his son Luis I.

The 37 year period from 1679 to 1715 is generally known as the “Fleet era.” Approximately 98% of the surviving Mexican gold cobs fall into this period and trace their survival to the Florida wrecks of the 1715 Fleet. In fact, more than 94% of surviving Mexican gold fall into the five year period 1711-15.

The first 16 years (1679-1694) of gold production at Mexico City is attested by a mere handful of dated coins. The first onza is not attested until 1691. Even undated specimens are rare. Assayer Manuel de Leon (L) struck one, two, four and eight escudos, the larger denominations showing the final version of the Hapsburg shield with a stylized crown, an, on the reverse, an attractive jeweled cross. In 1695 the jeweled cross reverse began to be replaced with a plain and then a “box cross”,  the latter design lasting until 1710.

Dated Fleet era onzas, 1695-1710, remain rarities. Only the last date, 1710, is represented by more than 2 coins. In fact, there are exactly three 1710 onzas extant! In 1705 assayer L was succeeded by his brother Jose de Leon (J), who remained in office until 1723. At first assayer J preserved the traditional types, but by 1711 he had begun to experiment with new obverses and reverses. After a year (1713) that featured some of the worst dies and gold planchets ever produced at Mexico City, dies apparently became machine-produced and some planchets expertly cast or cut in a fashion that did not require extensive faceting. See the beautiful round 1715 onza on our Home Page. After 1715 all Mexican gold cobs again become rarities in all denominations, with most dates unknown, and many dates represented by only one or two specimens.

1714 is by far the most common Mexican escudos. Hundreds of nice one, two and eight escudos survive from the Fleet. Six varieties of the 1714 onza exist and are eagerly pursued by collectors.

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RECENTLY SOLD:

OLD

From the 1715 Plate Fleet

1708 Mexico Eight Escudos.  Very rare: one of two dated specimens known

Two 1708 Mexican onzas are known, both recovered by Real 8 from the Nieves site. Somehow neither was absorbed into the Florida State Collection at Division. The companion to this coin--same dies--is pictured in Calico's LA ONZA as coin #381. Prior to recovery of these two Fleet coins, Chavez-Lopez believed he had located a unique specimen of the 1708 onza, and so described it in his 1962 CATALOGO of the onzas. Unfortunately, that coin does not have a readable final digit and is now re-assigned by Calico to 1706. In fact, it is partial date 170(x) with 6 through 9 possible as the final digit. Its dies do not match those on the dated 1708's.

This 1708 onza has the slight reddish tint so often found on 1713 Mexican escudos. It was found in the same area of Colored Beach as the 1713's. I have suggested elsewhere that this reddish tint is typical of gold coins that have spent a long time in contact with saturated organic material. The 1713's and 1708's were probably in a leather pouch when the Nieves sank. This 1708 onza also shows marine deposits and whitish coral, especially on the cross side. It is full weight at 27.0 grams.

Besides being one of only two 1708 Mexican onzas--the other 1708 is impounded in a major private collection from which it will not emerge for many years--this is one of less than a dozen dated BOX CROSS onzas known for the entire 1698-1710 type period. By any measure it a major rarity and an amazing survivor from the exiguous early gold coinage of the Mexico City mint.


Sold.

From the 1715 Plate Fleet

Mexico. Reign of Charles II (1665-1700).  Jeweled Cross four escudos, circa 1690. Very Rare.

The first gold issues of the mint at Mexico City featured the distinctive designs you see on this four escudos. The most striking design feature is the ornate jeweled cross. On the 4 escudos, this design continued until 1699, with at least three significant sub-varieties. No one has yet made a study of jeweled cross Mexican escudos, due to the rarity of the type in all denominations, but I am attempting to do so.

This is a middle-style issue, 1688-1694, identified by various distinctive features of the cross, shield and crown. Prior to the salvages from the 1715 Fleet, the entire population of jeweled cross media onzas  (1680-1699) was represented by no more than a half dozen or so coins. See the Lopez-Chavez 1961 monograph on the media onza. I believe the 1715 Fleet has added about another half dozen coins to the population, including this exceptional piece.

This jeweled cross 4 escudos  has very light sea surfaces and marine deposits/coral, especially in the lower area of the shield. It has good weight at 13.41 gms and a large, rounded planchet. If you would like a jeweled cross Mexican 4 escudos from the 1715 Fleet, this is a chance that may not be repeated for many years.

Sold.

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