Peru, Lima 1813 JP 8 escudos of Ferdinand VII - the prelude to a century of revolution.

[robinjojo]

By the time this coin was minted, the War for Independence was in full swing throughout the Spanish colonies in North (Mexico) and South America and points in between.

This is a coin that I've owned for many years, coming from Pat Johnson Rare Coin Company, Huston, Texas.  As some of you might remember, Jed Crump was the cornerstone of this firm.  I had the pleasure of knowing him both through correspondences and meetings, especially at the Mexico City annual numismatic shows in the early 1990s.  He was a truly nice and knowledgeable person, one who was always willing to share his wealth of information on Mexican and Latin American coinage.  He passed away many years ago from cancer.

Peru, Lima, 8 escudos, Ferdinand VII,  1813 JP, small draped laureate bust. Acquired from  Pat Johnson.

KM 124

26.92 grams

While listening to Beethoven's 4th sonata, I am reminded of the currents flowing through the world in 1813; the revolutionary fervor sparked by the American and French revolutions; the revolution in art and music as the Romantic Movement burst upon the stage; and the evolution of philosophy centering on individual rights and the relationship between the individual and nature and the world at large, as embodied in the works of Rousseau, Voltaire, Locke, Hegel, Nietzsche and Blake to name a few.  The first two decades of the 19th century set the rest of that century to be one of revolution, politically, socially and economically (think the works of Marx and  Engels).

This a coin, issued by the Royalists and as such can be construed as a reaction to the forces of change, but it is still a wonderful example of a coin produced in turbulent and historical times.

 

Please feel free to share your coins of this period and the 19th century and beyond!

Edited April 30, 2023 by robinjojo

[JeandAcre]

@robinjojo, I really need your perceptive linking of Beethoven with this profoundly revolutionary period, spanning both sides of the Atlantic.

  Here's the best reading of the first movement of the 9th symphony that I could find on YouTube.

  

The place where the timpani suddenly explodes --JOLT-- always reminds me of the initial, almost eponymous guitar riff in Hendrix's live reading of 'Machine Gun.'

 

And the best I'm likely to do is to repost a penny of Alexander III of Scotland, still (very evidently, from this example) in circulation during the wars of Scottish liberation, temp. William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.

[robinjojo]

Thank you for the recommendations! 

I really like your Alexander III of Scotland penny from the turbulent time of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce!  That coin is a lovely example.

[robinjojo]

This is  somewhat scarce coin with a lot of character, from the year 1814, when the fortunes of Napoleon I were definitely on the wane,

The are several bust types for this year.

Mexico, 8 reales, Ferdinand VII, Guadalajara, 1814 MR.

KM 111.3

26.68 grams