Daniel Frank Sedwick: silver cob coins of Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Spain

Item # (click to see photo)

First listing date

ITEM DESCRIPTION

PRICE

Very rare series, especially in silver (copper coins are available—please inquire). Please let me know if you have (or think you may have) any Santo Domingo silver cobs for sale.

All rare, for silver was just a by-product of the massive gold production in the region. Common mainland Spain cobs of the period are often mistaken for Colombia, so be careful buying "Colombian" silver cobs elsewhere!

100606772002	August, 2007	Bogotá, ½ real, Philip IV, assayer not visible, partial date, rare with lions and castles in proper quadrants, hazy final digit of date (looks like a 2), most of cross (Good or so) but practically blank (Poor) monogram side.	$110
100606772003	August, 2007	Bogotá, ½ real, Philip IV, assayer not visible, quadrants of cross typically transposed, nearly full cross, most of monogram, worn (VG+) and darkly toned all over, scarce type.	$95

110606784001	August, 2007	*Cartagena, 8 reales, (1655), •C•S• to right, extremely rare, Plate Coin in the 3rd edition of The Practical Book of Cobs* (1995), from the Maravillas,** sunk in 1656 off Grand Bahama Island, with certificate, the pillars side heavily corroded but the shield side remarkably clear, with full VIII denomination to left and bold full •C•S• to right, nicely darkly toned.	$1,650
110712210001	December, 2007	*Cartagena, 4 reales, (1655)(S), extremely rare, choice specimen from the Maravillas* (1656), with certificate, pedigreed to the Lou Ullian collection,** one of only two I have ever offered and by far the nicer example, with full shield-lions-castles (slightly doubled) and denomination and pillars and PLVS VLTRA, well centered on a solid flan (no corrosion, high grade), yet lacking the mintmark and assayer (C-S) and of course the date (which was in the legend), but known to be a one-year type, nice contrasting toning on fields.	$3,250

A hybrid series that are cobs only by virtue of the fact that they were hand-struck and hand-cut, for their design was actually of the milled "pillar dollar" series that succeeded handmade cobs at other mints. Not rare per se, but rarely nice, and currently very popular, so sometimes I lack any to offer. Please contact me for my best offer if you have Guatemala cobs for sale!

050816011105	4 reales, Philip V or Ferdinand VII, assayer not visible (J), good detail (full crown and globes, bold denomination 4) but no part of date visible, typically holed but not too badly worn (Fine for type) and nicely toned, just a decent type-coin for half the usual price.	$125
040814011001	2 reales, 1753(J), scarce final year of Guatemala cobs, curious triagle shape with hole in top point, full denomination 2, VG with nicely contrasting toning on fields.
020810181001	1 real, 1739J, roundish flan with choice full date and assayer and king's ordinal V, off-center shield side, nicely toned About Fine with small hole between crown and globes.	$85
040801041001	1 real, 1743(J), no hole but worn and partially flat (VG overall), good toning, clear 174 of date but very weak 3, bold denomination I.	$55

Very rare mint for cobs (just over 50 specimens known to exist, of which I have sold 7), which were struck only briefly during the period of 1580-1583. I always have customers for these coins, so please let me know if you have a specimen I can buy!

Actually more common than New World cobs, but much less sought and less well understood on this side of the Atlantic. Designs are the same as for shield-type New World cobs, except with yoke-and-arrows instead of cross on the reverse for Ferdinand-Isabel (and simpler shield).

040801101024		Granada, 4 reales, Philip II, assayer oF, very choice specimen with gorgeous details all over (full cross and shield and crown, plus mintmark oGo to left, assayer-denomination oF-oIIII to right), much legend, high grade (XF+) and beautifully toned, curiously with tressure around cross rotated 45 degrees from normal (see comparison in Proctor's book on Panama cobs), truly one of the loveliest cobs I have ever seen.
030810221013 through 030810221015		Various mints, 4R cobs, 1600s, assayers not visible, very chunky, "cobby" coins from mainland Spanish mints with recognizable shields and crosses but not much else due to flatness and crude strike, some toned, grades from VG to VF, 3 available.	$100 each