Pillars and Portraits, please

[robinjojo]

I'm not sure if a thread was created yet for the milled pillar and portrait coinage of the Spanish colonies and mainland (no pillars there, shield and portrait types only). 

These beautiful and historically important coins had a run from the late 1720s through 1825.  Famed as trade coins, coveted especially in Asia, particularly China, where silver was valued at a premium to gold, the pillar and portrait 8 reales and related divisions are available to collectors in a wide range of condition, including coins with interesting "chopmarks" merchant applied validating countermarks.  Many have been salvaged from the numerous wrecks of Spanish and other ships that were carrying these coins in their holds for trade in distant lands.  Like cobs, their hammer struck predecessors, a milled coin in the hand conveys a legacy of history and commerce during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Here are a few from my collection.  I will post more as they are photographed.

Mexico was the first colonial mint to produce milled coinage, starting in 1732, with assayer F.  Milled coinage appeared in Spain the decade before, but not with the pillars and waves design, but instead the traditionally shield (obverse) and cross (reverse) design.

Spain, 8 reales, Philip V, Madrid (crowned M), 1728 JJ.

KM 336.2

27.07 grams

 

Mexico, Philip V, 8 reales, 1733 F.  A Marathon, Florida Keys find.

KM 103

25.6 grams

This is my earliest example, from the 1733 Fleet.  Unlike subsequent issues, this 8 reales has a single assayer, F.  There's an even rare variety of this date with the mint mark as "M (dot) X", instead of the traditional o over M.

 

Mexico, 4 reales, Philip V, 1735 MF.

KM 94 Gilboy M-4-7-a

13.23 grams

This coin is a rare variant for the 4 reales of 1735, with a rosette above the MF on the reverse, instead of the normal dot.

 

Mexico, 8 reales, Philip V, 1744 MF. Heavy chopmarks and test cuts.

KM 103

26.4 grams

 

Mexico, 8 reales, Charles III, 1761 MM.

KM 105; Gilboy M8-39  

26.94 grams

 

Lima, 8 reales, Ferdinand VI, 1753 J.

KM 55.1; Gilboy L-8-3

26.90 grams

 

Guatemala, 8 reales, Charles III, 1770 P.

KM 27.2

26.93 grams

 

[shanxi]

I hope this fits in this thread:

Mexico/China
Ruler: Carolus III., 1759-1788
Obv: Bust, CAROLUS•III•DEI•GRATIA•1787•
Rev: Coat of Arms, Pilars, •HISPAN•ET IND•REX•Mo•8R•F•M•
Value: 8 Reales
Year: 1787
Material: AR, 26.7g,39mm
Ref.: Calicó/Calicó/Trigo 856

 

and this:

Mexico, Ferdinand VI., 1746-1759
Obv: bust
Rev: coat of arms? 
Value: 8 Reales
Year: 1748
Material: AR, 40mm

 

 

Edited April 5, 2023 by shanxi

[Kali]

Ferdinand VI (1747 - 1759)

Mexico AR 8 Reales
O: FERDND·VI·D·G·HISPAN·ET IND·REX M F 8, Crowned arms shield flanked by value and initials.
R: VTRAQUE VNUM; Mo 1756 MoCrowned hemispheres flanked by crowned pillars.
27g
39mm
KM#104.2

Ex. Harlan J Berk Buy or Bid Sale #212, July 2020

Charles III (1716 -1788 A.D.)

Spain 8 Reales
Mexico Mint

 

[Al Kowsky]

14 hours ago, robinjojo said:

I'm not sure if a thread was created yet for the milled pillar and portrait coinage of the Spanish colonies and mainland (no pillars there, shield and portrait types only). 

These beautiful and historically important coins had a run from the late 1720s through 1825.  Famed as trade coins, coveted especially in Asia, particularly China, where silver was valued at a premium to gold, the pillar and portrait 8 reales and related divisions are available to collectors in a wide range of condition, including coins with interesting "chopmarks" merchant applied validating countermarks.  Many have been salvaged from the numerous wrecks of Spanish and other ships that were carrying these coins in their holds for trade in distant lands.  Like cobs, their hammer struck predecessors, a milled coin in the hand conveys a legacy of history and commerce during the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Here are a few from my collection.  I will post more as they are photographed.

Mexico was the first colonial mint to produce milled coinage, starting in 1732, with assayer F.  Milled coinage appeared in Spain the decade before, but not with the pillars and waves design, but instead the traditionally shield (obverse) and cross (reverse) design.

Spain, 8 reales, Philip V, Madrid (crowned M), 1728 JJ.

KM 336.2

27.07 grams

 

Mexico, Philip V, 8 reales, 1733 F.  A Marathon, Florida Keys find.

KM 103

25.6 grams

This is my earliest example, from the 1733 Fleet.  Unlike subsequent issues, this 8 reales has a single assayer, F.  There's an even rare variety of this date with the mint mark as "M (dot) X", instead of the traditional o over M.

 

Mexico, 4 reales, Philip V, 1735 MF.

KM 94 Gilboy M-4-7-a

13.23 grams

This coin is a rare variant for the 4 reales of 1735, with a rosette above the MF on the reverse, instead of the normal dot.

 

Mexico, 8 reales, Philip V, 1744 MF. Heavy chopmarks and test cuts.

KM 103

26.4 grams

 

Mexico, 8 reales, Charles III, 1761 MM.

KM 105; Gilboy M8-39  

26.94 grams

 

Lima, 8 reales, Ferdinand VI, 1753 J.

KM 55.1; Gilboy L-8-3

26.90 grams

 

Guatemala, 8 reales, Charles III, 1770 P.

KM 27.2

26.93 grams

 

Impressive group ☺️!

[Al Kowsky]

2 hours ago, shanxi said:

I hope this fits in this thread:

Mexico/China
Ruler: Carolus III., 1759-1788
Obv: Bust, CAROLUS•III•DEI•GRATIA•1787•
Rev: Coat of Arms, Pilars, •HISPAN•ET IND•REX•Mo•8R•F•M•
Value: 8 Reales
Year: 1787
Material: AR, 26.7g,39mm
Ref.: Calicó/Calicó/Trigo 856

 

and this:

Mexico, Ferdinand VI., 1746-1759
Obv: bust
Rev: coat of arms? 
Value: 8 Reales
Year: 1748
Material: AR, 40mm

 

 

The second coin got chopped into oblivion 😮! 

[Al Kowsky]

I sold the 3 chop marked coins pictured below at CNG E-Sale 483 for $826, including the buyer's premium ☺️. The Hong Kong trade dollar is a rare coin & rarely seen chopped.

[robinjojo]

Thanks for the posts and keep them coming!

Here's a portrait 8 reales of Charles IV, Potosi.

Potosi 8 reales Charles IV ,1791 PR .  Possibly from the  Cuzco hoard.

KM 73

 

And another pillar 8 reales from Guatemala, 1771, the last year of pillars from this mint.  For the period of 1769-1771 this mint struck 8 reales on narrower and thicker flans, resulting in parts of the legend being off the flan.  There is a very scarce variety for 1769 with the typical wider flan.

Guatemala, 8 reales, Charles III, 1771 P

KM 27.2

26.8 grams

 

I forgot to include a representative from Fotosi!

Potosi, 8 reales, Charles III, 1770 JR.

KM 50; Gilboy P-8-4

27.3 grams

Edited April 5, 2023 by robinjojo

[robinjojo]

Santiago, Charles IV, 8 reales, 1793 DA.

KM 51, C 61, E 44

26.94 grams

[robinjojo]

Here's a pillar of Ferdinand VI, Mexico, 1754.  There are several varieties of this date listed in Gilboy and KM, with various crown, assayer combinations and other features, some quite rare.  This is one of the more common varieties.

Mexico, 8 reales, Ferdinand VI, 1754 MF.

KM 104.1 Gilboy M 8-27

26.94 grams

 

Portrait coinage continued through the wars of independence in Mexico and South America.  During these times of upheaval communications and deliveries of silver were frequently interrupted between Mexico City and outlying silver producing provinces, such as Zacatecas.  Because of this situation, the royalists set up branch mints, as did the insurgents, with their makeshift, often mobile mints.  When independence was finally achieved in Mexico, in 1821, the royalist coins with the portrait of Ferdinand VII continued to be minted notably in Zacatecas, Guadalajara, with 1821 as a "frozen" date.  This following the brief Iturbide "empire" of 1822-1823, republican coinage was introduced in 1823, in Mexico City.   The royalist mints of Zacatecas, Guadalajara, Durango and Chihuahua continued through the Republic, with others added over the years, until 1905.

Mexico, Zacatecas, 8 reales, Ferdinand VII, 1818 AG.  Royalist issue.

KM 111.5

25.76 grams

The dies of this crude coin are clearly of local manufacture.

Edited April 6, 2023 by robinjojo

[robinjojo]

Sometimes coins are found with letters in the legend or elsewhere transposed, switched in position to the next letter.  This coin however is a deluxe job of transposition.  The normal Latin spelling on pillar and portrait coins for Spain is "HISPAN" for "Hispaniarum".   The individual responsible for punching the shield die side legend for this coin must have a bad night, creating "HIAPSN" instead, resulting in a very rare variety of what is normally a somewhat scarce date.  

I was lucky to be able to acquire this coin, even in its salvaged state.  It must have been a virtually uncirculated coin when in ended up in the drink, as all of the details are quite bold.  Gilboy notes a variety with the "M" of the right mint mark missing the lateral bar.  That bar is present on this example.

Lima, 8 reales, Philip V, 1771 JM, HIAPSN error.

KM 64.2;  Gilboy L-24-Aa (R5)

25.77 grams